


Hogwarts Dark Bridal

by SoulSurgeon, the_madame21



Category: Diabolik Lovers, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Angst, Blood and Violence, Crossover, Domestic Violence, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Forced Masturbation, Humiliation, Mind Manipulation, Multi, No Romance, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sadism, Sexual Abuse, Torture, Unhealthy Relationships, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-17 03:41:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 25
Words: 39,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13650678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoulSurgeon/pseuds/SoulSurgeon, https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_madame21/pseuds/the_madame21
Summary: Welcome to Hogwarts Dark Bridal, where the students are "diabolik" by nature.Take a walk through the castle grounds and follow in the footsteps of Kuroe and Akari, two girls who will dive deep into the very sadistic nature that surrounds the school of Witchcraft and Wizardy. As they uncover the secrets of their foreboding fates, the relationships with their fellow classmates will jeopardize the very foundation of living a normal life.**Originally published on Tumblr May of 2016**





	1. Please Read!

Greetings fellow witches, wizards, and muggles alike!

If this story seems familiar, then yes, I am one of the original creators of the fanfic "Hogwarts Dark Bridal" that was originally published on our tumblr blog **http://hogwartsdarkbridal.tumblr.com/**

Due to life and other such events, Madame and myself had to discontinue our HP/DL ask blog. However! Because I still wanted to continue the story of our OC's, I have decided to publish it here on this platform, that way those who have never come across our blog can read up on our characters and their adventures here!

I figured I'd start with the bio/synopsis of our girls and as always:

I do not own Diabolik Lovers or Harry Potter.

Diabolik Lovers is the sole property of ® Rejet and all characters belong to them.

Harry Potter is the sole property of ® J.K. Rowling and all characters belong to her.

The OC's mentioned in this story are the sole property of myself and Madame, and may not be used or distributed without our permission. Any unique spells or headcanons about the boys used in this story do belong to us as well, and may not be recreated without proper credit to us.

 

 **Soul’s OC** : Kuroe Katsuragi, aka ‘Black Viper’

House: Slytherin, 6th year

Status: Shin Tsukinami’s Punching Bag

Blood Type: Muggleborn

Birthday: October 25

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Red

Height: 5’3”

Skin Color: Medium tone

Hair Style: Kept tied back in a ponytail

Markings: A black dot under each eye

Wand: Dragon heartstring, Cherry wood, 10 ½ inches

Patronus: Acromantula

This cunning girl is a Slytherin. Her ancestry stems from a traditional Japanese lineage of guardians from Mt. Katsuragi. They are well involved in the magical community, but they bear no magical talent themselves, being the equivalent of a Squib line. She is the first witch in her family to receive a letter granting her acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, after being banned from attending the school of Mahoutokoro in Japan. Her parents have not said why the wizarding school in Japan declined to accept her there, but it may have something to do with her genetics being a threat to the safety of the students…

Her exceptional athletic abilities have granted her a place on the house team, where she has been awarded the title of Captain in her fifth year. No one in school is aware of her Muggleborn blood status; the only keepers of her secret are Akari Motegi and Reiji Sakamaki. Due to her reserved nature, she prefers to be in the company of animals, which is why her favorite class is Care of Magical Creatures. Her hobbies include training for Quidditch, studying with her best friend Akari, and practicing Transfiguration with her Pygmy Puff “Lychee”.

 **Madame’s OC** : Akari Motegi, aka ‘Ravenclaw Vixen’

 

Property of: Reiji Sakamaki

6th Year, Pureblood Ravenclaw

Height: 5’4

Eye Color: Grey

Hair Color: Brown with a green streak going down the right side. She keeps it pinned back with a clip so it’s not in her face.

Hair Length: Past her waist, just above her butt

Birthday: December 9th

Wand: Veela Hair, Redwood, 11 inches

Patronus: Fox

Akari comes from the very wealthy and very well established Motegi clan. She is the youngest of four, and sister to three older brothers. As the youngest she’s always gotten away with quite a bit, but as a result, has become the ‘black sheep’ of the family. She doesn’t particularly care though, since she’s much happier doing her own thing anyway. And despite it all, she has a very good relationship with her family. Her best bro is Yuma Mukami, because they both don’t give a flat fuck about anything, and have lots of fun together. She’s very proud to be a Ravenclaw, and certainly acts like one, as she is one of the top students in her class, and is an expert duelist. However, once outside the confines of the classroom, she has a rather loose set of lips, and curses like a sailor. It is something Reiji certainly does not approve of, and has tried on multiple occasions to ‘break’ said habit.

Now, on to the story!


	2. Liquid Luck: Where Fate Has Struck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by madamemalfoy21

“Students are not allowed out at this hour. Surely you’re aware of this.”

He was surprised when the girl didn’t even bother to turn around, instead staying just as she was, leaning over the railing, staring up at the sky. “I’ll get going in just a bit.” She promised.

He scowled. “I will not repeat myself. As a Prefect I will be escorting you-”

“You can see them all tonight. Have you noticed?” She did look at him this time, smiling all too genuinely. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. She motioned him to come closer with her hand, and reluctantly, he obliged.

“That one up there,” she pointed with her finger, “Do you see it? It’s brighter than usual.” She sighed contentedly, and continued pointing at the sky, naming the various constellations. He wasn’t exactly irritated, which was strange, since he generally would have been. Perhaps he was just tired.

“And then that one–”

“Yes, the Big Dipper. Your knowledge is astounding.” Sarcasm dripped like venom from his words. But her reaction was something he had not quite calculated.

Her eyes widened, shining despite the darkness, her lips parting into an even bigger smile than before, “Yes, that’s right! So you know it too!” And then, to Reiji’s surprise, the girl laughed. “That’s awesome. Most people would have told me to stop talking a long time ago,” she looked up at him, bearing that same sort of smile, “But I guess that’s why everyone thinks you’re so cool, Reiji-san.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Hey! Do you do this often? I thought I was the only one who came up here to-”

“In case you are unaware, I am simply doing my duties as a Prefect. Now if you could so kindly follow me, I would like to get back to my room to sleep, Miss Motegi.”

He turned to leave, and from her footsteps he knew she made to follow.

She was blushing, though he could not see, “Y-You know my name?”

It wasn’t such a grand feat. Everyone knew who this girl was. And truly, her reputation was not something Reiji wanted to associate with. What with her skirt as short as it was, it was not hard to believe that the supposed rumors were all true. He certainly took the opportunity to make her aware of it.

“The Ravenclaw Vixen?” He purred, “Why, of course.” He said with a stabbing smirk.

“Aha…” she tugged nervously at her skirt, “People are still calling me that huh? Ah, well it’s kinda cute you know? Like a fox?” She made awkward gestures with her hands that Reiji assumed were supposed to be ears.

“Yes…” he said degradingly, “In any case, please refrain from exploring so late at night. Especially when you Ravenclaws are housed in a–”

“I know, I know. Trust me I’ve heard it before. But the view from here is so good that I can’t help myself-” she stumbled on the stairs, nearly falling over had Reiji not caught her by the elbow.

“A helpless woman indeed.” He sneered, irritated at how many times she had managed to interrupt him.

“Oh, holy shit.” She held onto the sleeves of his shirt as though she were on the edge of a cliff, “Thanks! Fuck, I lost my step.” She giggled nervously again, and Reiji noticed the tinge of blush that lined her cheeks.

“Kindly refrain from using such language in my presence. For such foul words to come out of a lady is absolutely deplorable.”

She blinked. “Oh. Sorry if I offended you. They just slip out,” again, Reiji had to put up with the laughter, “I don’t really have much of a filter. And then again I’m told I talk a lot when I’m-”

“You do.”

Akari giggled a bit, muttering an apology with a subtle bite of her lip. She’d never seen the Slytherin Prefect so up close before. Even with his glasses on she could tell his eyes were absolutely mesmerizing.

Oh, she’d heard quite a bit about him. Mostly complaints from Kuroe. But Akari found him rather respectable nonetheless. He definitely wasn’t like other guys. Most probably would’ve tried to stick their hands up her skirt by now. It was irritating, but not anything she couldn’t handle. She’d grown up with three older brothers, so she definitely knew how to throw a punch if needed.

But Reiji was a no-nonsense and logic kind of guy. Or at least so she had heard. And from the looks of it, everyone had been right. Maybe it was stupid to crush on someone you’d never spoken to, but as of tonight they had spoken, so Akari deemed it completely acceptable.

The second time he caught her, she may or may not have decided to sneak up to the Astronomy Tower after hours on purpose. Maybe.

“Miss Motegi-”

“Reiji-san!” she motioned him with her hand, “You’re a Virgo right? Your stars are out tonight.”

“I did not think someone in Ravenclaw would subscribe to such superstition.”

She smacked his arm, giving him a harsh look, “It’s not superstition!”

He gave her a look that sent chills down her spine, before she fully realized what she had done. “Ah, sorry! I have brothers so it’s just kind of reflex…” she stuttered.

He adjusted his glasses, looking tired. “I regret to inform you, Miss Motegi, but I am not one of your kin.”

“Oh I know that,” she said with a wave of her hand, “You’re way more attractive than my brothers could ever be.” Her face reddened, upon realizing just what exactly she had said. “I mean!” she cleared her throat, straightening herself, “In any case, you should call me Akari. Only the professors call us by our last names.”

“To do so would imply that we are acquainted.”

She smiled, “Well we are, aren’t we?”

He ignored her completely. “Enough. I do not have time for such frivolities.”

A small shiver ran down her spine. Granted, this probably hadn’t been her best idea ever. And she certainly hadn’t landed on his good side, but how else was she supposed to talk to him again?

“Right. Well, no worries. You don’t have to escort me or anything. I know my way back to the common room.”

“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice, Miss Motegi.”

She was hoping he’d say that. “Well then by all means! Lead the way!”

She practically skipped to his side, as stupid as that sounds, but she really couldn’t help it. She was happy. But also nervous. A lot nervous. More nervous than happy. Damn it her hands were sweating. Why did this always happen? She’d spoken to him once, for christsakes.

“So, Reiji-san. You’re a Virgo right? You really act like one what with the closed off aura you give and all that.”

Really? Really? That’s what she chose to say?

“And just how, may I ask, do you know my sign?”

“Oh!” Shit. “Well I talk with Shu a lot. Well not a lot. I mean he’s always sleeping and all that. But like we hang out and stuff. Speaking of which! I’m a Sag. So technically we wouldn’t really get along, but I’d say we’re doing just fine, don’t you think?”

“You are acquainted with my good for nothing brother. How very fitting.”

“Yeah he mentioned you two don’t really get along. Honestly I can see why though. Shu is damn annoying always sleeping all over everything. You know he gets Yuma to do his work for him? I keep telling him not to do it but Yuma gives in every time. He’s a good guy like that. Do you know him? Yuma Mukami? He’s the Hufflepuff Keeper-”

“Miss Motegi.”

She bit her lip. “Yeah?”

“You would do well to condense your speech.”

“You know, I actually get that a lot. It’s just how I am I guess. Can’t really help it. I hope it doesn’t bother you all that much-”

“It does, in fact. We have nothing to discuss, so it would benefit the both of us if you simply remained quiet the rest of the way.”

She blinked. Yeah. He was definitely no nonsense. Shit her heart was fluttering like crazy. Fluttering, what kind of a stupid-ass description was that? But she was so close to him! And he still hadn’t made any moves. Definitely not like other guys. She could respect that. Did respect that. A whole lot, actually. But now that she was no longer lost in conversation, she realized they were not headed in the direction of the Ravenclaw common room.

Her heart pounded in her ears. Was he taking her somewhere else? Where? And to do what??

“Mr. Tsukinami.” Reiji greeted the headboy before Akari even managed to catch sight of him. Carla appeared from basically nowhere, stopping his elegant gait right before them.

“Good evening, Mr. Sakamaki.”

Oh damn. This guy’s voice. Akari always had to do a double take around him. Even still, it had nothing over Reiji’s cool tone.

“Miss Akari Motegi,” Reiji motioned to her, “Has been caught twice now snooping around after hours. I-”

“Well, not really snooping. More like stargazing.”

Reiji shot her a nasty glare and she quickly sealed her lips. “Sorry, carry on.”

“It seems only necessary that she receive strict punishment. I thought it best to come to you.”

“Yes, well done Mr. Sakamaki. I trust you will oversee her detention properly.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“A week should do, don’t you agree?”

“A week?” Both Akari and Reiji spoke in unison.

“As someone from my own house I am rather disappointed in you Ms. Motegi. I would prefer to not deduct housepoints but you’ve left me no choice.”

“You can’t make a punishment extra harsh just cuz we’re in the same house!”

“Can’t I?”

“But that’s not fair! The quidditch game is on Friday! We can’t miss that!”

Carla sighed, “Then you will do your best to complete the tasks before then,” He turned to Reiji, “Monday to Thursday she will be in your care. I trust you will fulfill your task to the highest of your abilities, Mr. Sakamaki.”

Reiji gave an irritated yet curt nod of his head. “As always.”

“Very good. See to it that she makes it to her common room.”

Again Reiji nodded, and grabbed Akari by the arm, dragging her away. She could hardly believe it. An entire week with Reiji Sakamaki. An. Entire. Week.

“Aha, guess we’re stuck together huh?”

Reiji just about slammed her into a wall.

Of all the bloody days…

He’d never rely on something as preposterous as ‘liquid luck’ to get him through the night ever again.

“Listen well, Miss Motegi, because I will not repeat myself. You will complete your assigned tasks diligently and punctually. You will not be late to detention. You will not skip detention. And you most certainly will not ever let me catch you roaming these halls after curfew ever again. Are we quite clear?”

Jesus fuck he was strong. The hell kind of muscle was he hiding under those robes? Christ. Thank god he was freaking pinning her up against this wall or hot damn she would’ve freaking melted. Or, maybe the reason she was melting was because he’d pinned her in the first place?

She raised her arm to grant him a brief salute, “Yes, Sir!” she said with a giggle, laughing at her own witty joke. “Don’t worry, we’ll be in and out of detention in no time. Plus we still get to go to the quidditch game!”

Reiji released her with an eye roll and a disgruntled groan. “Yes. Wonderful.”

He continued down the halls, and Akari followed in step. “You go to the games, don’t you?”

“Only when my house is playing.”

Akari perked up, “Then you’ll definitely be at the one on Friday! Kuroe’s playing. You know her right? Oh and Ayato too of course. But I mean he’s your brother so of course you know him-”

“You are far too loud.”

“Oh!” she lowered her voice slightly, “Sorry. But yeah, I’m usually at all the games. Cuz you know, Yuma and Kuroe. And then gotta support my own house of course.”

“Indeed.” Reiji let out an irritated breath, as he began to climb the stairs.

“You seem kinda tired,” Akari noticed, “You really don’t have to walk me, I told you I’m fine-”

“Stop talking. I’ve had an incredibly arduous day, and you have not only worsened my night, but the entirety of next week.”

“Right. Sorry. I’ll make it up to you!”

“There is no need.”

“Nah, I don’t mind!”

“Don’t.”

He didn’t let her speak after that.

Maybe she should’ve been turned off. But she couldn’t help but smile. Because now she knew that Reiji got all grumpy-grumpy when he was tired. And that, was absolutely freaking adorable.


	3. Akari's Detention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by madamemalfoy21

Detention: Day 1

He should have expected her to show up in such attire, and yet he was still surprised. Why he had such expectations of her in the first place, he did not know. It had already been made quite clear that this girl was nothing but disappointment.

“Miss Motegi, surely you don’t think you will be able to accomplish such tasks in a skirt-”

“Oh, it’s fine,” she waved him off, “I always wear these. Trophy polishing huh? Classic. I’ll get right on it so we can get out of here.” She smiled widely up at him. “You know, honestly I hate cleaning. My mom says I’ll never get married because of it. But like, fuck that. That’s what magic is for. Plus like marrying rich never hurt anybody.” she let out a hearty laugh, picking up a rag and walking over to the trophies.

“Yes, I’m sure being a gold-digger is every little girl’s aspiration.”

She laughed again, “You’re pretty funny,” she waved the rag at him, “But nah. I’m fine with what I’ve got. But I don’t see how cleaning is a desirable trait. I mean I guess I’d want a man who cleans. It sure as hell wouldn’t be a deal breaker though. But I’m thinking I only want a guy who cleans because I don’t like cleaning, know what I mean? So I feel like a guy who likes cleaning anyway wouldn’t really care if his wife cleans or not.”

Reiji could only blink, he was so overwhelmed. How many times had she repeated the word ‘clean’?

“Please refrain from talking, Miss Motegi. I will not have you hindered in your duties.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble,” she said easily, “Talking helps me get things going. Sort of like a distraction from all this gross stuff. Plus I wanna get to know you better, Reiji-san.”

“I have no interest in knowing you.”

She laughed. Again. “So harsh. But I guess I did get you stuck in detention with me. I really am sorry about that, I didn’t mean to. Though it’s kinda your fault, don’t you think?”

“How so?”

“You totally tattled on me! Took me to Carla and everything!”

Reiji stiffened, “It is my duty as a Prefect.”

She blinked at him, “Haven’t you ever broken the rules a tad? Or even just bent them?”

“There are reasons for said rules. To ignore them would debase the purpose of having them in the first place. What you are suggesting is anarchy.”

“Whoa! Slow down there. Not turning me in and anarchy are two very different things Reiji-san.” she giggled, wiping the trophies with her rag and holding it up to the light. “Hey, look! It’s Potter’s trophy! Cool, right? Dang, I wish we would’ve all been in the same year. That would’ve been legit as fuck.”

“Miss Motegi.”

“Right, right. The cussing. I always forget. Sorry!”

By the grace of the gods, she remained rather quiet after that, and Reiji was able to sit in peace as he overlooked her handiwork.

That is, until she got to the lower shelves. She couldn’t simply crouch down, like a normal person, but rather bend over, her bottom in the air, the skirt doing a very poor job at hiding…

Reiji cleared his throat. But she did not seem to catch his warning. 

She had…nice legs. Nice enough, in any case. It was no doubt what attracted so many men to her presence in the first place. One would think she’d do a better job of concealing herself, considering all the unwanted attention it was sure to bring her. But the more Reiji thought about it, the more he contemplated over the fact that she perhaps wanted the attention. It suited someone like her, after all, this Ravenclaw Vixen.

And while it certainly wasn’t proper, Reiji Sakamaki was still a man, so he allowed himself another brief glance, before calling out her flaws. “Miss Motegi. Surely you are aware of the length of your skirt.”

She stood up straight with a questioning ‘hm?’ and glanced down at her back, her arms stretched forward and her head turned back. “Why? Oh shit.” She laughed and shook her head, “My bad. Free show huh? Yeah, Ruki is always on me for that shit.”

“Must you always be so vulgar?”

She shrugged, “It’s just habit.” she said, setting one of trophies down.

“Some habits should be broken.” he said strictly.

She smiled at that, “Yeah,” she said, “Some.”

Detention: Day 2

She was not, as she had said before, an efficient person. She had failed to finish polishing the trophies in a timely manner, and so the pair of them were again confined to the trophy room for today.

“So I was thinking, and this is kind of stupid, but like damn there’s six of you aren’t there? That’s a big family!”

He ignored her, having instead brought a book along, so that he would not need to interact with her inane questions.

“That’s rude you know,” she chimed, picking up a trophy. Still, Reiji chose to ignore her.

“I thought you were all about the rules. Don’t you know you’re supposed to respond to someone when they’re talking to you?”

Reiji didn’t bother to look up at her, instead turning a page in his book, “That would suggest that someone is talking to me, Miss Motegi. You, however, are speaking at me. I have no intentions in carrying on a conversation.”

She shrugged, rinsing off her rag and moving down the line of trophies. “Fair enough. I’ve always been good at monologues anyway.”

For a moment he thought she might be bluffing. But he had never been so wrong in all his life.

He learned quite a bit about her that day. Not that he wanted to retain the information, but information was always good to have, especially over people that he might want to manipulate in the future.

Apparently– according to her, anyway– she was skilled at dueling, and took quite a bit of pride in saying so. She claimed to have bested all of her friends, and wouldn’t be surprised if she could take him on as well. He found that rather ridiculous. Especially when it was only so painfully obvious that this girl had very poor skills when it came to magic. How she had been placed in Ravenclaw escaped him entirely. She belonged in Hufflepuff with his idiot brother and that pestilential Mukami.

For someone like her to be so conceited–

His book was ripped from his hands, flying over to hers with surprising ease. “Must be pretty interesting, for you to be getting lost in it like that. Would you recommend it?” she asked, looking up at him and flipping carelessly through the pages.

“I don’t believe you have the vocabulary for it.” he snapped.

She laughed, tossing the book back to him, “Probably right about that. I don’t read as much as I should. Though I do love it. Fascinating things, books are.”

Reiji didn’t find that very surprising.

“By the way…” her voice sounded distant, as she began walking away to the farther shelves, “Thanks for this. I usually never get to talk this much. Most people tell me to shut up right away.”

“I’ve told you countless times, Miss Motegi.”

“Akari,” she corrected, “And yeah but like you haven’t left or anything.” she giggled.

“I’ve been assigned to watch over your detention. If not for my duties as a Prefect, I would have left a long time ago, I assure you.”

She laughed at that, which Reiji was getting rather tired of hearing, but then she turned to look at him, a stupid smile on her face. “Still though. You’re not like other guys, Reiji-san. Most would’ve tried to cop a feel or some shit. So thanks.”

“Those who do so clearly have no taste in women.”

He had not expected her to laugh at that. Rather loudly too, making a show of it and bringing her hand up to her mouth. Did she not know that he was insulting her?

“Oh my god you’re such a bastard! It’s refreshing though, really. I appreciate it.”

Reiji had never been more confused in his life. As much as he continued to insult her, she would continue to smile. Perhaps she was just stupid.

But as the day ended, she chirped along in her disgustingly happy way, waving to him and screaming out about how she was looking forward to tomorrow.

Looking forward. To tomorrow.

Why would anyone look forward to detention?

“Because you’ll be there, of course.”

Exactly when she had gotten so close to him he was not sure.

“I don’t recall asking you anything Miss Motegi.”

She shrugged, “You didn’t really have to. It’s written all over your face. Later, Reiji-san!”

His eyes narrowed as he watched her leave. He took great pride in his ability to never show his true emotions to anyone. And for this girl, this Ravenclaw whore to come in and…

Perhaps there was more than met the eye.

Congratulations Miss Motegi, he thought, You’ve captured my interest.

That is, as far as interest could go, between someone like her, and someone like him. She was, after all, a thorn in his side. One Reiji would take every pleasure in breaking.

Detention: Day 3

The third day they were spared of any more trophies, instead enlisted by Slughorn to replicate some potions he’d need for his lecture. It would have been fine, for the most part, but Reiji was convinced she knew nothing about potions. And there was some sort of distracting smell that seemed to fill the room. Reiji couldn’t quite place his finger on it.

He tried to ignore it, however, and instead place his focus on the task at hand. Although this was indeed supposed to be her punishment, he did not want to deal with the potion’s room bursting into flames, so he took the lead. He made it quite clear that she was not to speak, but being the insolent girl that she was, it did not take very long for her to once again open her mouth.

“I always kind of liked potions because it’s so clear cut. Like math, you know? If you do everything right, then you end up with fantastic results. I guess that’s why you’re so good at it,” she looked up, a very genuine smile on her face, “It suits you.”

Reiji said nothing, realizing only now that the particular scent was lavender. And that it was coming from her. A light blush appeared on her cheeks, and she quickly lowered her head.

“Right, sorry. I’ll just keep stirring.”

There was something rather strange about this girl. She did not seem like one who would blush so easily. A sadistic smile spread along his face, wondering just what might happen if he chose to escalate things a bit further.

She’d been the cause of misfortune for him this week, and to see her broken down would be rather pleasing. Simply thinking about it made his hands itch. Oh the things he could do. Especially with his use of silent magic.

Slowly pick her brain? Delve into it and ruin her until she was nothing but a whimpering and broken ball of shame. He’d certainly take great joy in it.

But that scent was still bothering him. It had not been there the first two days. Again his lips curled into an amused smile. Oh dear, he thought, was she trying to seduce him?

It was quiet for a while, as Reiji picked his words carefully, the only sound that of the ladles against the metal pots.

“You smell of lavender.” He purred.

She almost wasn’t sure if she’d imagined it or if he’d actually said it. Looking up from her brewing potion, they locked eyes, and while Akari didn’t look away, she did break the contact, choosing to look down at his nose instead. “O-Oh. Yeah. It’s my perfume. I make it myself so that way it’s more natural and it won’t…do you not like it?”

Reiji looked down, stirring his pot. “It’s not unpleasant.” He admitted.

Akari felt her face burning. Which was weird. And new. Because she really didn’t blush all that often. Didn’t get embarrassed all that often. But suddenly she felt the need to tug her skirt down, even if it was just a bit. So she did. But she definitely did it as smoothly as possible, so that he wouldn’t notice.

That was probably the first time he had given her a compliment. Well it wasn’t really a compliment, more of a statement. But still.

Coming from him, it was sort of a big deal. Which, if she thought about it, was probably why her ears still felt so hot.

That is, until she felt a slight disturbance at the edge of her head. She made a face, looking at him, “Are you trying to use Legilimency on me?”

Reiji blinked, his concentration ruined, hardly able to process what had just happened. 

That was impossible.

“I’m not as dumb as you think I am, you know. But if there’s something you wanted, you could just ask, you know. I’m pretty open.”

Reiji scowled, denying the fact, instead barking at her to finish her potions. Akari Motegi, an Occlumens?

That was, in itself, a joke.

One he refused to believe.

Detention: Day 4

“Isn’t this just the Room of Requirement? What are we doing here?”

“You have a bad habit of asking questions when they are not needed, Miss Motegi.”

“One should never stop asking questions.” she said firmly.

“One should, if they are not necessary.”

She scoffed at that, shaking her head. “You gonna answer or what?”

With a deep inhale and an adjustment of his glasses, Reiji smirked, “Consider yourself honored, Miss Motegi. I will be personally training you.”

“Training me? Am I a dog?”

Reiji sighed, “If you cannot conduct yourself in an elegant fashion then yes, Miss Motegi, you may as well be a dog.”

She licked her lips, biting down as though she were holding back a smile. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up in irritation.

“All right,” she clapped her hands, “What do ya want me to do?”

He lifted a book, motioning to her with it, “We will begin with balance and posture. Yours is absolutely appalling.”

She snorted, “You want me to balance a book on my head?”

Reiji remained expressionless, digging into her lower back with his knuckles and propping her chin up with the edge of the book.

“Ow! Geez–”

“The quicker you learn the less painful it will be, Miss Motegi.”

She rolled her eye, snatching the book from his hand. “You can’t be serious.”

“Quite serious.” he added with an amused smile.

But she returned it with a smile of her own. No matter, he’d make sure to eliminate it by the end of the period.

Akari placed the book on her head, balancing it with ease, walking around the room and then stopping right in front of Reiji. “Want to add another one? My highest is six, I think. Er, seven but I didn’t last very long. I can cursty too, wanna see?”

He did nothing but blink. This was impossible.

She laughed. “Oh man. That’s quite the look you got. I thought you would’ve figured it out by now, especially with the whole Occlumency thing. Besides, you say my last name all the time. ‘Motegi’ really doesn’t ring a bell? Most people–”

Reiji stiffened. “That’s preposterous. The Motegi family consists of–”

“Yeah yeah. ‘Mr. and Mrs. Motegi live comfortably with their beloved children, Alexandr, August and Aito.’ They really need to update that. Aito is like eightish years older than me but like damn makes you feel kinda left out, ya know?”

Reiji shook his head, “If you indeed know how to act accordingly then why is it you choose to–”

She interrupted him again, “That stuff is so boring. Plus I already know how it all works so what’s the point?”

“You are a complete disgrace.”

She took the book off her head and held it in her hands, scoffing, “Rude. Sound like my dad. Always going off about–”

“Perhaps, Miss Motegi, it is because you lack any and all decorum. You are a woman with no class, no morals, and no self respect.”

He had backed her into a corner while saying so, and Akari hadn’t really noticed until her back hit the wall. “O-Ok,” she hesitated, “Really rude. I’ll have you know I have tons of self respect.”

“That’s rather amusing, coming from a whore such as yourself.”

“Hey!” she snapped, crossing her arms, “That’s not fair! I thought you were better than that! None of those things are true! I’ve never even…ok well I’ve kissed people but like damn what’s so wrong about that? There’s plenty of girls who are way worse than me. Like Linda? Have you seen her? She’s a Hufflepuff. I swear that girl is–”

He was…burning. And he was pent up with so much frustration from the past four days, it was the only thing he could do second to choking her so that she’d never speak again. He hated her. And knowing now that she truly belonged to that family. One that was so renowned and respected and…

He bit down, making sure she felt pain. Immediately she whimpered, her body stiffening. It was a rather nice reaction, he had to admit, especially since it had managed to silence her for the time being. Her frail body shivered beneath his hold, and Reiji couldn’t help but wonder if this sort of reaction was suitable for someone who was supposed to–

Merlin, she even tasted like lavender. He dug his teeth in a little deeper, savoring the skin.

“Reiji-san.”

Oh. It was a beautiful, hushed sort of sound. The kind that’s released in a single breath. It both pulled him in and snapped him back, such was its delicate nature.

But it was weak.

And he hated weakness.

“You are far too loud.” he growled, crashing his lips against hers, silencing her once and for all. Here she did not taste of lavender, he soon found, but rather, a taste all her own. One he could only describe as ‘Akari.’ Not that he’d ever tell her that. And it was only here, that he realized just what his actions might imply.

So he pulled away, shooting out one degrading comment or another, declaring detention to finally be over and there would be no need for either of them to cross paths ever again. And he left. Because Akari Motegi was nothing more than a used disgrace.

When the door had slammed shut, Akari found herself sliding to the floor. He had…bit her. Like…like a toddler.

Well, kissed her too…sorta…but…

Surely Reiji Sakamaki of all people didn’t do that with just anyone right? Sure, he’d given her all sorts of insults but that didn’t mean he didn’t…like her exactly. They’d been together for nearly a whole week, after all. And if it was Reiji, then surely he wouldn’t do something like that with someone he didn’t intend to go steady with. Because he was all rules and structure and properness and decorum. So if all that was true then…

Shaky fingers traced her lips, remembering the feel of his. Her first thought was to run and tell Kuroe everything, but something told her Reiji might not like that. So she bit her lip, unable to contain her smile.

Could this really be happening? It’d been forever since anyone had actually wanted a real relationship with her. And if that was something Reiji wanted then she was already his. Sure he was rough around the edged– or actually maybe just full of too many edges, rigid as he was– but he was different. And he wasn’t the kind of guy to just be after a good time. 

Her heart raced with new life.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow, after the quidditch game, she’d kiss him again.


	4. Before the Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by madamemalfoy21

One way or another, she’d gotten stuck helping Ruki put books away at the library. And by ‘one way or another’ Akari got the irritating feeling he’d volunteered her without her knowing.

“Please focus,” Ruki sighed, placing a book on the shelf next to her, “You’ve been distracted all week.”

Akari rolled her eyes, moving down the line with her own pile of books. “I don’t get distracted.”

“You’ve been doting on that Sakamaki brother.”

She scoffed, “I hang out with Shu and Yuma all the time.” she countered, shaking her head at Ruki’s idiocy.

“Not Shu. Reiji.”

Akari wasn’t quite sure how it happened, but the books all seemed to tumble out of her hands at once, falling like confetti to the floor, she, of course, tumbling down with them. “Ow! Jesus fuck!”

Ruki only sighed, “Fix your skirt, you’re a student not an escort. And keep your voice down, we’re in a library.”

“Yeah, Mom, I know we’re in a library. You’re lucky I’m helping you in the first place.”

“You did not have to agree.” he reminded her.

She scoffed, “You basically forced me.”

Ruki let out a breathy sigh of irritation. “Akari. Get up.”

“Maybe I don’t want to.”

“Akari.”

She groaned, slowly picking up the books around her, “Fine, fine. But hurry it up. I’m not missing this Quidditch game.”

“Our house is not playing.”

She flicked his forehead, “Hello?? Anyone up there? Kuroe’s playing. Plus Slytherin vs. Gryffindor is always super exciting. Their rivalry is fucking ridiculous.”

“Language.”

“Sorry, Mom.”

Ruki sighed.

“You do that a lot.”

“What?”

“Sigh around me. I don’t know if it’s because of me or because you just like sighing.”

Ruki rubbed his temple, and took the books out of her hand. “Just go.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Woo! You’re the best Mom! See you later!”

“‘KARIIIIII!!!”

“Yuma!” She jumped up, waving her hand. He pushed through the crowd, making his way over to her.

“It’s so crowded.” she complained.

“Always is. Seats?”

She nodded, “Yeah, let’s go.”

Yuma began to walk, but she had already fallen behind, the crowd separating them. “Oy! Bear! Hold up!”

Yuma turned around, chuckling, before he grabbed her by the arm, dragging her to his side, “You’re so fucking short.”

“I’ll have you know I’m perfectly average!”

“That’s the problem.”

She blew raspberries at him, but the two climbed up the bleachers without much trouble after that, Yuma’s height gaining them a significant advantage against the horde of spectators.

Reiji watched as Akari and that Mukami brother climbed up the steps of the Slytherin side to find some seats. She was shaking her hand at the male, and Reiji had unfortunately spent enough time with her to know that she was complaining about something or other. The Mukami boy seemed to groan, rolling his eyes before turning around to face her once more. Then, to Reiji’s surprise, he picked her up with a single hand, cradling her in his arm. She laughed, giving a sort of cheer.

Reiji didn’t realize he was clenching his jaw until someone took the seat next to him, and shook his concentration.

Well, it was quite like her. She was a whore, after all.

“Reiji-san!”

He jumped slightly in his seat, surprised to see the girl running towards him. She tripped over her own feet though, nearly falling face first into his lap. Not that he allowed it, of course, stopping her before anything happened. “Hopeless as ever, I see.”

“Hi!” she chirped.

He pushed up his glasses, “I hope you do not intend to sit here.”

She shook her head, smiling, “No, that’s ok! I’m gonna go sit with Yuma up there.” she pointed up at him, before turning her gaze back to Reiji. Upon which, she folded her hands in front of her, shifting awkwardly on her feet. “But um…I was wondering if maybe we could talk a bit after the game?”

“What for?”

She tucked some hair behind her ear, “You know…just things.”

“I do not have time–”

“I know! I definitely don’t wanna waste your time. It doesn’t have to be very long.” she said hopefully.

Reiji sighed, wondering just what exactly he was doing. “Very well.”

Her entire face lit up. It was irritating. “Ok! Great! I’ll see you then! Um, the black lake? It should be pretty empty around that time?”

Reiji nodded and waved her away with his hand, no longer wanting her in his presence. She seemed to take the hint, because she gave him a brief smile, before turning and shooting him a wave of her own.

He didn’t realize he’d been holding his breath, until he let it go.


	5. Pre-Game Betting

The clouds began to roll in as the sky changed into an obscure grey. It was evident that a storm was near, while the stadium created a way to prevent the oncoming rain from drenching the fans. 

One person in particular paid no attention to the sounds of clapping thunder, and instead looked above, her ruby eyes glued to the murky sky. She didn’t blink once as the water droplets fell and coated her face, her expression somber and full of tension about the upcoming game. She would have remained lifeless in the storm if it weren't for the sudden interruption caused by her teammate.

“Oy, Captain, what're you staring at? We've got a game to prepare for.”

The captain blinked a few times before switching her attention to him.

“Hmmm.” she muttered softly.

The chaser rolled his eyes. “Listen, I know you like your pre-game concentration, but I'm just letting you know that the Gryffindors are here, and they asked for you.”

The captain furrowed her brows in confusion.

“And _why_ are they here, exactly? I doubt that it's to wish us luck.” She replied, her tone sarcastic. 

Her teammate appeared behind her, and began shoving her under the barracks to meet the opposing team.

“Come on, we all know you're looking forward to this game! Your _boyfriend_ is on the team, after all.” He chastised her.

She stopped in her tracks, grinding her teeth while giving her fellow chaser a death glare that would have had a dementor shaking.

“He’s **not** my boyfriend.” She seethed, squeezing her broomstick between her hands.

The lead chaser smirked and elbowed her lightly in the arm.

“Haha, well, you can't deny that you guys sure have chemistry! Especially during a game.”

Kuroe took hold of his robes and pulled him down to face her, a look of desperation washing over her features. 

“Chemistry?! The guy has done nothing but torture me! How can you assume he likes me when he clearly hates my guts? The man is relentless!” She shouted, her temper already past its limit.

Her teammate gently removed her hands from his robes and attempted to calm her down.

“Okay, okay, I get it. Just breathe, okay? Can't have our star player freaking out before the first game of the term.”

Kuroe sighed loudly, her frustration rising.

“I mean, the guy can't stand our house, which I can sort of let go, but why me? Why does he always have to get on my case? I haven't done ANYTHING to him!!”

She punched a wooden beam with all her strength, almost managing to completely break it.

Her teammate nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, he does have it out for the Slytherins, but it is pretty weird that he keeps going after you. Pent up frustration with a hint of lustful desire, maybe?”

She narrowed her eyes at him before spitting on the ground.

“Let's just get this over with. We've got a game to win.”

The chaser patted her back repeatedly, his excitement soaring. 

“Now THAT'S what I like to hear! Quidditch Captain mode is a go!”

They both walked through the barracks, as the fans cheered in preparation for the game, their stomping feet causing the stadium to shake violently. The pair made it to the end, where they were met by the opposing team's captain.

“So...Slytherin’s Black Viper finally decides to show her face.”

Kuroe stared at him, her face devoid of any emotion.

“The hell do you want? Or are you so eager to lose that you're looking to forfeit now?”

Ayato laughed, his green eyes glowing excitedly at the girl's threat. “Woah woah, take it easy now! You better save that sexual tension for the field.”

Kuroe rubbed her temples and groaned. “WHY must you make sexual innuendos every single time we speak?!”

Ayato shrugged carelessly, not expecting her to understand his way of teasing. Although his preferred method was flirting, he didn’t mind picking on thick headed girls like the Slytherin captain to get a rise out of her.

“No reason. It’s because you get mad easily, so it’s your own fault.”

Kuroe winced, knowing that he was right. She wouldn’t dare show him that he was, and remained expressionless at his response.

“If that’s all, then please leave. You’re on the wrong side of the pitch.” She turned to exit, but was stopped.

“Oy, I’m not finished with you yet...we’ve got a score to settle.”

The Slytherin captain spun around, her red eyes sparkling with interest.

“Do we now? I don’t recall...must have been hit with a Memory Charm or something.” She teased, giving him one of her best smiles.

Ayato clenched his fist in anger. “Tch! You ran your broom into my head, knocking me out cold! You couldn't play a single game without cheating to save your life!!”

He stopped suddenly, an idea dawning on him. His lips spreading into a malicious grin as he thought of a way to retaliate against the conniving Slytherin.

“Say...I’ve got an offer for you. How about we have a little bet? You know, so we can settle this rivalry between houses once and for all.”

Kuroe quirked her eyebrow, listening intently. It wasn’t easy for her to deal with people like how a normal young lady should, but whenever someone said the word ‘bet’, that was her ticket to tune in. She enjoyed playing games, but she liked winning more, regardless of what it was.

“Alright...you have my attention. I’m listening.” She stated nonchalantly while leaning against her broom.

Ayato gave her a cheeky grin. “Heh, you asked for it. If you can go through this entire game WITHOUT cheating, then this chaser will be your personal slave for a week.”

The Slytherin frowned, suddenly not wanting to take part in this joke of a bet.

“I can’t even stand being around you for 5 seconds, much less a week,” she pondered for a bit and rubbed her chin, “But what would you get if you win? Not saying you will, I’m just asking for technicality reasons.”

The Gryffindor folded his fingers and stretched his arms over his head.

“Well, that’s an easy one. If you so much as cheat once, I get that fancy broom of yours.”

Kuroe clutched her broom close to her chest, unsure about his demand.

“Your father is rich and powerful, I’m sure a pureblood like you can get anything he wanted. Besides...this was a gift.” She spoke hesitantly, trailing her fingers along the wood of her polished broomstick as she recalled the fond memories associated with it.

Ayato rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but that’s not the point of a bet. It’s much more satisfying winning and _claiming_ the broom from you instead of buying one.”

Kuroe bit her lip apprehensively, her eyes darting back and forth doing her best to decide how badly she wanted to go through with it. She did have a reputation of using foul play in order to advance in Quidditch, but it wasn’t because she wanted to. Being the only girl on her House team, and one of the few female players in the entire school, put so much pressure on her that she had to use underhanded methods to level up in ranks. Plus, it’s not like the boys played fair, either. In fact, it was because of their dishonest habits that forced her to participate in it as well. She knew that the ends justified her means, and it even gave her the reputation of being deemed ‘The Black Viper of Slytherin’. She was proud of that nickname because she knew she earned it. As for now, she knew that she had no choice but to accept this farce so that she can keep her name and her House dignity intact.

She extended her arm swiftly, waiting for Ayato to take it.

“Fine. It’s a deal.” She stated calmly, her ruby eyes boring into Ayato’s green ones.

The Gryffindor captain accepted and forcefully shook her hand, meeting her intense gaze with his own.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Remember, you can’t cheat once.” He threatened, his smile fading slightly.

Kuroe scoffed at his comment. “I’m hurt! It almost sounded as if you didn’t trust me.”

Ayato narrowed his eyes at her. “Now THAT is something I will never do. Just make sure you don’t bloody up my new broom too badly. I need it in perfect condition when I take it from you.”

He turned to run to his side of the stadium, as Kuroe yelled after him.

“Yeah, right! You make sure to—! Ugh, he already ran off. Damn him! Why does he always get the last say?” She huffed, and ran beside her teammate.

The lead chaser patted her head apologetically.

“Well, don’t let him ruffle your feathers anymore than he has. Come on, the game’s about to start.”

She continued to mumble under her breath, still not letting go of what Ayato had said.

“Yeah, yeah, he thinks he’s soooo cool. Well, I’ll show _him_.”


	6. Slytherin vs. Gryffindor

The Slytherin team mounted their brooms as they heard the whistles being blown, indicating the introduction of the game. The doors unlocked and with Kuroe in the lead, she zoomed out of the barracks, her team following close behind her. They all flew around expertly, darting down to fly near the fans as they barely grazed their heads. Their near encounters with the student body had them all cheering in anticipation with each individual waving their flags and banners to show their appreciation for the teams participating in today’s game.

“Ahhhh, another fine day for a Quidditch game.” Chimed a sultry voice from the speakers.

“Mr. Sakamaki, it’s raining…”

“Eh? I didn’t mean for the players of course, nfu~ It’s fine for us because we’re not all wet!” 

As the announcer called out the team names, the Quidditch players circled by the crowd a few more times before the referee motioned for them to land so they could arrange to begin the game. The referee was next to the shaking box that contained the balls and pointed to the two lead chasers from each team to stand next to him.

Kuroe took her place to the right of her lead chaser, which meant she didn’t have to face Ayato. Even though she was captain, she acknowledged that her teammate was a much better player than she was, and so allowed him to be lead chaser, which baffled the other House teams. It was typical for captains to be the lead in whichever position they happened to be in, and since Ayato was a chaser, of course he would declare to be the lead for his team. She rolled her eyes at the thought, since it was a typical way for guys to try to assert their dominance over one another.

“Now I want a nice clean game,” the referee stated, “From all of you.”

A loud cackle was heard from the Gryffindor side.

“Clean? As if those _snakes_ would even think of doing something that decent. They’ve already dirtied up the field just by being here.”

The Slytherin team glared at the chaser who stood next to Ayato, his focus solely on Kuroe as he spoke. She gripped her broom tightly and did her best to ignore his burning gaze.

“That’s enough!” Shouted the referee. “I won’t tolerate anymore delays.”

He held onto the quaffle securely as he gave out the instructions.

“Mount your brooms.”

The players climbed atop their brooms, preparing for the signal. The referee blew his whistle, as both teams shot up in the air, soaring higher and higher with each passing second. The referee threw the quaffle vigorously into the air as the chasers darted furiously around each other, both teams trying to steal the ball for their side. He also released the clasp that fastened the other balls down, and out flew the bludgers and the golden snitch, speeding through the field, as they each tried to find their perspective targets.

“And so the game begins~ As usual, our Gryffindor chasers have done well in capturing the quaffle first!”

Kuroe was first to get between the huddle to fight for the quaffle. Normally, she would have had no problem shoving or kicking the other team’s chasers to grasp the ball, but her sole focus was trying to play without using those methods. She was unable to catch the quaffle, and instead had been tag teamed by the Gryffindor chasers who blocked her movements, with Ayato and Shin flying on both sides of her. She knew she was trapped and couldn’t get out as the pair led her into one of the stadium towers to fly her into the wall. Without resisting, she braced for her crash, but was saved by one of her beaters, who had flown in by sheer desperation to prevent her from being knocked into the towering column. The only recognition she got that she didn’t injure herself was the chorus of ‘OHHH’S!’ that emanated from the stands. She collided into her teammate, as he pushed her back onto her broom, the Gryffindor chasers both flying back out to the middle of the pitch.

The whistle was blown by the referee.

“Hmmm, seems like Gryffindor Chasers Ayato-kun and Shin-kun have been fouled for blatching Slytherin Bitch-chan.”

“MISTER Sakamaki, will you desist from using foul language while announcing the game?!”

“But it adds more excitement when I say it my way!” Laito chuckled.

The Gryffindor Head of House rolled their eyes out of frustration.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! GET BACK OUT THERE!” Yelled the Slytherin beater.

Kuroe shook her head and sped off, trying to make up for the time she missed getting caught by those two imbeciles. Instead of heading towards the middle, she directed her broom to her side of the pitch and raced to get near her keeper. He gave her a dark look, knowing that she wasn’t playing like she normally was, but decided to refrain from saying anything. Her sharp eyes scanned the field and saw Ayato coming in to try and score, but she intercepted by diving at him from above, and managed to steal the quaffle away from his hand.

Without looking back, she effortlessly accelerated through the sea of players who had surrounded her to block her path to Gryffindor’s side of the pitch. Her own team had defended her triumphantly, as the beaters whacked off the rogue bludgers that had been casted at her to slow her down. Kuroe flipped her broom in midair and threw the ball with all her might into one of the rings, taking the first score for Slytherin House.

“And the first goal goes to Slytherin Bitch-chan…” Laito whined.

“MISTER SAKAMAKI!”

“Hai, hai, it won’t happen again, Professor, promise!” He winked.

The crowd jumped up and screamed wildly, watching the intensity of the game from the sidelines. The Slytherin team cheered, as they chanted their captain's name, which caused Kuroe to give a half smile, something she didn't do too often. Although their victory was short lived, they knew that the game was far from over. Kuroe had messed up by not paying attention when the golden snitch flew by her face. She turned to face it when the Gryffindor seeker collided into her and managed to completely knock her off her broom.

“Oh no! Seems like poor little Slytherin bitch almost fell off her broom! Who will help her?” Laito announced dramatically.

“MISTER SAKAMAKI, FOR THE LAST TIME—” 

“But she looks so adorable from this angle~ Don’t you think so, Professor?”

The speakers were temporarily cut off as the Head of Gryffindor House fought Laito for control over the megaphone.

  *********

Fortunately, Kuroe’s fingers were able to grip her broomstick in time as she dangled helplessly, suspended in midair. It was a dangerous situation, since everyone else was too busy playing to even bother to lend her a hand. She clambered up frantically to try and re-mount her broom, but due to the rain soaking it, she was unable to pull herself up properly. Tears began brimming her eyes, not out of fear, but from the intense shame she felt by allowing that Gryffindor asshat to manipulate her into playing his stupid game. Her fingers were already slipping from the handle, and one hand slid off completely, causing a united gasp to erupt from the crowd. She gritted her teeth, desperate in her attempt to hold on, but her strength was weakening, and she wanted nothing more than to feel the sweet release of letting it all go.

It had all been for nothing when her fingers released their grip as she plummeted to the ground, her floating broom the only image in her sights. Without thinking, she decided to close her eyes, abandoning all hope of being spared by this miserable defeat. Her body plunged through the air at a rapid speed, as she neared the bottom of the field, but instead of crashing toward her untimely demise, her body hung limply in the air, completely unharmed.

Due to the stress of the situation, her vision waned in and out, since she was on the brink of passing out. She stared towards the sky when the shadow of a flier came into view. He hovered atop her small form and gently pulled her onto his broom, her savior flying her to the side of the pitch, where the medics team of healers were waiting to inspect her for injuries. The flier carried her bridal style to the first responder, who quickly took over and thanked him. The Quidditch player glanced back at Kuroe once more before taking off to resume the game.

“Are you feeling alright, dear?” Asked one of the healers.

Kuroe winced but felt her head securely, making sure that she was completely okay before answering.

“I...I think so. It was just a little bump, no big deal.” She tried shrugging it off, but her obvious distressed state didn’t fool the healer one bit.

“Hm, I see. Well, if you don’t mind, I’d like to examine you just in case, okay?” She smiled tenderly and casted her wand around her patient, checking for any serious issues the girl might have sustained during the fall.

Kuroe sat anxiously and allowed the healer to examine her, but she knew she wasn’t seriously injured, and would be able to play once she was finished. Her pride was damaged more than anything, until she suddenly got an idea to fix everything that had happened up until now.

And what an awful idea it was.

She focused her gaze onto the field and saw everyone hovering in mid-air, waiting for the feedback of the medical team about her condition. Her eyes were filled with a kind of mischief that did not go unnoticed by her team, in particular her lead chaser. When he noticed her expression, he nodded slightly towards her direction, wondering what the issue was.

Kuroe wasn’t put in Slytherin for nothing, and right now, she was willing to prove her House’s cunning reputation...by withdrawing from the game to win the bet, without cheating. She was going to use any means necessary to seal her victory, and her team was going to help out.

She began signing and making rapid hand signals to her chaser (a form of communication only known between her and her teammates) to quickly explain that she would feign being severely injured, so they would have to continue playing without her. Ayato said that for her to win she would have to refrain from cheating, but he never said that her team couldn’t. And she was going to let them exploit that.

The Slytherin chaser gave a look of approval and grinned wickedly, knowing that he was given permission to unleash a full out attack against the Gryffindors. He swooped around his team and made a few more hand signals to pass on her message, and the team laughed in unison, their satisfaction for the situation increasing by the minute.

Kuroe whipped her head back to the healer who had just finished her examination.

“Seems to me as if you’re fine, dearie! Do you feel like you can handle playing the game?” She asked politely.

Kuroe cringed and gripped the back of her head, feigning as if she just had a dizzying spell.

“Um, I’m not quite sure, that hit almost knocked me out completely...maybe I should sit this one out just to be safe. I’m not feeling well.” Her expression was remorseful as she looked at the kind healer, doing her best to show that she indeed would be unable to play.

It seemed to work since the healer accepted her fake sincerity with compassion.

“Oh my! Of course you can rest a bit! It’s a shame how all those boys were trying to hurt you, a poor thing like yourself.” Cooed the healer.

Kuroe almost laughed, but caught herself in time and bit her lip to prevent any sound from escaping.

“Yes, it’s terrible, but I really enjoy playing. It gives my parents great pride to know I’m on the House team…”

The healer continued chatting with Kuroe before she made her final report, indicating that Kuroe would be unable to continue playing in today’s game. She motioned for the referee and explained the situation, which he announced to the rest of the players.

“Oya oya, the referee has made his final call. Slytherin bitch-chan seems to have been injured to the point of not being able to continue. Fufufu~ looks like Gryffindor may have the advantage in this game!” Echoed Laito’s voice over the speakers after his little squabble.

The Gryffindor Head of House sighed in defeat.

“Mister Sakamaki, we can not favor one house over the other during the game. You’re supposed to remain neutral.”

“Mmm? But I am! I’ve mentioned Slytherin Bitch-chan so many times that I completely neglected my own house!”

The Professor disconnected the megaphone, causing a slight interference to ring throughout the stadium.


	7. Slytherin vs. Gryffindor Pt. 2

The competition during the game was fierce. Not only had the Slytherin team been fouled countless times, but the Gryffindors were going on full blast against their opponents. Kuroe watched anxiously from the sidelines, her heart racing as to whether her team could win this game without her.

Out of nowhere, the announcer stated that the seekers were tailing the snitch at a rapid speed. Everyone averted their gaze to the two players, as they fought desperately to try and grab the speedy golden ball that kept avoiding their attempts at catching it. The two seekers flew near the ground and under the barracks, out of the sight of the crowd and the other players, as everyone waited nervously to see who would emerge victorious in the capture of the snitch.

Scuffling sounds were heard, and then both players flew out of the barracks, their robes whipping behind them, as they both landed on the ground with a loud thump. The crowd held their breath as the referee flew down to meet them, and blew his whistle, signaling the end of the game.

“The Slytherin seeker has caught the snitch. Looks like the game has ended in a tie. Nfu~ what rotten luck.” Sneered Laito.

The crowd erupted in an uproar, their angry outbursts demanding that the referee reconcile the tie to determine a winner.

In the history of Hogwarts, there had never been a game that ended in a tie without being resolved. But with the actions of today’s game, the referee had no choice but to resort to planning a re-match so that an official winner could be chosen.

“Due to the circumstances of today’s game, I have no choice but to declare the winner by scheduling a re-match. I knew that something was off with the way you all played, so you should be grateful for my decision. I could have easily suspended each and every one of you for the shenanigans you decided to pull.”

The players knew better than to argue with the referee, and instead nodded in contemplation, glaring at one another with silent threats before retreating to their respective barracks.

Kuroe got a head start and jumped up enthusiastically, hoping to meet her team on her side of the pitch. She quickly bowed and excused herself to the medical staff, who advised her to avoid doing anything strenuous before sending her on her way.

Even though she was excited by the time she reached the barracks, the somber look of her team sent chills up her spine, and she shuddered nervously, preparing for the onset of hurtful comments that would come her way. She was in a defeated stance, knowing that she put her team’s reputation on the line because of her selfish pride, and it was her responsibility as captain to put her team first. She closed her eyes and braced herself, but she only felt the warmth of bodies pressing against her, as her team all came together in a massive group hug with her in the middle. The confused terrified look on her face had the entire Slytherin group breaking out with laughter.

“What’s with that face? You look as if you just saw the Bloody Baron go by!”

Kuroe shoved her keeper, who laughed even harder at her.

“You assholes!! You can’t be messing with me like that! Why aren’t any of you mad? I did such a terrible thing...I deserve to be kicked off the team.” She held her head in shame and squeezed her eyes shut to prevent any tears from coming through.

The lead chaser wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pressed her into his chest for support.

“You know, we really should kick you off the team for abandoning us like that midway. But...for the sake of winning a bet AND for pissing off the Gryffindors, we’re willing to forgive you this time. Right guys?”

There was a unison of “yeahs” that followed after the chaser’s speech.

“However, can you maybe _try_ not to accept any more bets? At least during Quidditch season? It’s annoying enough as it is losing our favorite captain during the game, but to have an even tie with the Gryffindors…” He scrunched his face in disgust.

Kuroe quirked her lips into a shy smile and nodded in agreement. She hit her open hand with her fist and asserted herself back into captain mode.  
“Alright guys, we barely scraped by the game with one less player, but next time we’re going to have to come up with a new game plan to crush those pompous gits once and for all. I’ll alert everyone for the next practice and I’ll make sure to come up with a flawless plan for operation take down the Gryffindors.”

The Slytherin team cheered and began clapping Kuroe on the back as they exited the barracks and headed towards the locker rooms. She followed suit, grateful that since she was the only girl on her team, she would get the girls’ locker room to herself.

She squeezed through the door and headed towards her personal locker, while slowly disrobing her team uniform. She shook her head in annoyance, since she could hear the boys on the other end yelling and jarring one another. Everyone who knew her would ask her if she had ever been in a relationship, but the answer would always be no. She spends all her time with boys, but she never had an interest in being someone’s girlfriend; it just wasn’t her style. She had goals that she set for herself, and she would be damned if she were to let a boy get in the way of that.

Kuroe was about to unhook her bra when she heard a loud bang against the door, and decided to stop in the middle of changing. She used her dirty shirt to cover her chest when she peered in the direction of the door, her heart rate accelerating at the thought of someone coming in while she was in an indecent state.

“Hello?” She squeaked out, her fear beginning to take over.

When no one responded, Kuroe dropped her arms and threw her shirt on the bench, rolling her eyes at the thought of being terrified over nothing. She turned to go back to her locker when she bumped straight into the person that had been waiting for her all along.

“So you like to play it that way, eh? You really are a stupid bitch.”

  *********

Kuroe opened her mouth to scream but Shin stopped it by wrapping his hand around her throat to silence her. She choked out a wet sound, when he hoisted her up and slammed her against the lockers, pinning her securely. She desperately clawed at his arm to stop him from hurting her, but it was of no use. Shin’s anger was merciless, and he was going to keep her there until he got what he wanted.

“What the _fuck_ were you thinking dropping out of the game like that? I saw you signalling to your team. Do you think I’m fucking stupid or something?!” He squeezed her neck harder, a faint crackling sound coming from it.

Kuroe’s ruby eyes were wide with terror, as her face began to turn purple from being deprived of necessary oxygen. She opened her mouth to respond but no sound came out, only wheezing gasps.

Shin’s face was full of resentment, and Kuroe thought he might actually kill her. She persisted in using her elbow to jab into his arm forcefully, so that he would let go. Shin easily grabbed her arm and spun her around, pinning her arm behind her and bending it painfully, as she screamed out loud, her face pressed against the locker door.

“Heh! Are you still trying to get away?” He pressed himself onto her, digging his knee in between her legs to separate them as he leaned dangerously into her ear.

“Is this how you repay the guy _who saved your life?_ ”

Kuroe shook uncontrollably, both out of anger and adrenaline, at the thought of actually being saved by the likes of him.

“You... _hah_...you stopped me from falling!?” She croaked out, her breathing ragged.

Shin smirked into her hair at hearing her finally talk.

“I saved your ass, Snake. Don’t you think I deserve a proper thank-you?” He pulled her hair back so that her eyes were meeting his, as she yelped from the sudden action. Her face was contorted in agony from the pain.

“But...why?” She asked, her expression horrified. “Why would you save me?”

Shin’s smirk dropped as he released his grip, letting the Slytherin fall unceremoniously to the ground. He turned and had his back toward her before he spoke.

“If you think I did it to save you, you’re mistaken. How else am I supposed to rub it in that ugly face of yours that I’m the better chaser?” He chuckled and made to leave, until he was opposed by a new group of people.

The Slytherin team guarded the door and prevented him from leaving, the Slytherin chaser emerging before him.

“Well, well, seems as if we have an intruder in our midst, gentlemen.” The chaser peeked over Shin’s shoulder and called out to his teammate.

“Captain, everything alright?”

Kuroe was still on the ground and had her hand around her neck, making sure to be careful and not press her skin so hard. She nodded slightly, unable to find a voice to defend herself.

The lead chaser narrowed his eyes and glared at Shin.

“You know what they say, Tsukinami. When you mess with snakes, you’re going to get bitten.”

Shin grabbed the front of the chaser’s robes, unamused by his threat.

“Out of my way, filthy snakes. Before I crush you just as easily as I did to her.” He grinned devilishly.

The Slytherin team made no motion to move, and Shin was left shoving through them to exit the locker room. Kuroe’s team watched as he left before moving to her side, in which she held up a hand to stop them.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” She stood up, and folded her arms in front of her chest, her back towards them.

“I’m just going to finish changing before I leave. Would you mind giving me my privacy?” She replied in a commanding tone.

Her team began to shuffle outside the room, when her lead chaser called back to her.

“Just so you know, we’ll keep watch outside. That way nobody comes in.”

She exhaled slowly, satisfied with the notion that her faithful teammates would be right outside to protect her should anything happen. Although she hid her emotions well, even she knew it wasn’t safe for her to be by herself; not after what Shin did. But for now, she wasn’t going to show that weakness. Not to herself, and not to anyone else. Remaining calm and placid was the best way to handle such affairs. It was the only way she knew how to be.

Kuroe quickly changed out of her dirty uniform, and changed into a casual shirt and pants combo before heading for the exit. She tapped on the door, letting her team know she had finished, and they all escorted her out of the locker area. Once they officially left the stadium, they each went their separate ways. Kuroe was jumped by a familiar face as soon as she got onto the castle grounds.

“Heyyyy, how’s my favorite Quidditch player doing? WOAH! What the hell happened to your neck?!”

Akari grabbed Kuroe’s t-shirt collar and pulled it down harshly, revealing the purple and blue blotches imprinted on her neck.

The Slytherin tried to swat her best friend’s hands away from her, but Akari had the advantage, and began questioning her about her recent attack.

“Jesus Christ, who the fuck did that?! I’ll kick their ass, whoever they are!” She waved her fist bravely in the air.

Kuroe’s eyes were downcast as she spoke her attacker’s name in a hushed voice. She quickly explained the situation about the game, so that Akari would understand how she ended up this way.

Akari furrowed her eyebrows in revulsion, appalled at the situation her friend had gone through.

“So Ayato got you locked in some dumb fucking bet, and because you can’t be the bigger person, you decided to risk losing the game, not to mention possibly losing your position on the House team, and now you have to play them again, which caused Shin to get pissed off so he went after you? Did I leave anything out?” She replied, slyly.

Kuroe sneered at her friend. “You don’t have to go all Ravenclaw on me, you know. But yeah...that’s basically what happened. Tch. Not like it matters anyway. That guy always gets the upper hand.”

Akari shoved Kuroe and smirked, trying to lighten up the mood.

“Please, you and him are always at each other’s throats. Quite literally, by the looks of it. It’s like you two were MADE for one another.” She batted her eyelashes in teasing manner.

Kuroe sighed in disgust. “Right, and this is just a sign of how much he cares.” She pointed at her neck for effect.

Akari laughed and grinned mischievously. “Hey, not my problem you’re into that kind of stuff.”

Kuroe quirked an eyebrow in interest. “Oh? Is that so? I wouldn’t be talking Miss Ravenclaw Vixen. You’re the biggest Do-M I know. At least when it comes to being around Reiji-saaaan~”

The Ravenclaw’s cheeks burned a bright pink.

“T-That’s different! He just...he’s got this something. I get all loopy when he’s around. Honestly, I don’t know how you can be in the same house and NOT get lost in those gorgeous red eyes.” She sighed contently, drifting off into her daydream.

The Slytherin looked at her in shock. “Right...because MY red eyes just aren’t enough for me to look at, every.single.day.” She replied sarcastically.

Akari became flustered, trying to explain her feelings more clearly. It was impossible since dealing with the Slytherin was like talking to a brick wall.

“Oh, you! You know what I mean! They’re just so captivating...the way he knows so much about so many things...I can’t quite explain it.” Her voice trailed off, and Kuroe looked at her seriously.

“What does that feel like?” She asked seriously.

Akari looked at her surprised. “What does what feel like?”

Kuroe bit her lip, hoping that she wouldn’t give away exactly how she felt so soon.

“Well...I mean, how you feel about Reiji-san. What does that feel like? Is that what love is supposed to be like?”

Akari’s eyes widened before she giggled, amused by the way her friend worded things.

“Well, it’s certainly not love! I mean, not in the way you say it. I don’t know, actually. I guess you could call it an infatuation? It could turn into love later on I guess. At least, if I actually did anything about it.” She frowned slightly.

Kuroe gazed at the ground as they walked through the castle corridors, deep in thought. Sure, she had never been in a relationship before, but for some reason, she felt interested in confiding in her friend about all these unknown feelings that had been emerging recently. It wasn’t because of a particular boy; no one interested her enough for that, but she still felt excited nonetheless. It was a new development in her life, and she was keen on figuring out what to do with it. But for now, she was just going to let it slide, since she didn’t want to give off the wrong impression.

“Say, want to eat some dinner? I’m feeling a bit parched.”

Akari clapped her hands enthusiastically. “Oh, yes! I forgot to tell you. Did you hear about the Sakamaki triplets finding a dragon’s egg? I heard it hatched and the baby blew fire all over them!”

Kuroe laughed and chatted with her friend as they made their way to the Great Hall.

“Actually...you go on without me. There’s something I need to do first.” Akari squeezed Kuroe’s shoulder.

Kuroe looked at her friend out of concern, and Akari quickly explained her sudden need to leave, so as not to upset her friend.

“Oh, it’s nothing! I promise. I just have to go meet with someone. I’ll be back soon!”  
Kuroe raised an eyebrow, not buying her story, but shrugged anyway.

“Suit yourself. If any food runs out, don’t blame me for it.”

Akari wasn’t paying attention and waved before heading off for the Black Lake.

“Save me some pudding~” She yelled, absentmindedly.

Kuroe snorted. “Tch. Pudding she says? Pudding doesn’t exist here anymore after Kanato-kun came to Hogwarts.”


	8. Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by madamemalfoy21

Her heart was pounding as she headed to the lake. More than anything she wanted to tell Kuroe all about everything, but she didn’t want to do that until both she and Reiji were comfortable. Well, until Reiji was comfortable. She was always more than ready for anything. But now, going off to the black lake to meet him after hours, she couldn’t help but be giddy. This was like real-life teenager stuff. Things you find in those cheesy romances. Only it was actually happening. And it was great.

He was already there waiting for her, looking rather stoic in his robes, wind slightly playing with the front of his bangs. Shit he was handsome. And the one that got to look at him was _her._

She chirped her greeting, and Reiji asked what they were doing out here. She waved him off and began walking, to which he followed in step. Akari couldn’t help but think of how nice this was.

They walked along the edge of the lake, Akari bubbling and speaking without coherence, Reiji wondering just _what_ it was that she needed to say to him, when suddenly, she took hold of his hand.

“What do you think you are doing?”

She looked up at him with wide eyes and then quickly dropped her hand, apologizing. “Ah, sorry, might be a bit too soon for that? I’m honestly not too sure how these things go…” her voice trailed off, before it shot up in panic, “Oh god sorry were my hands sweaty!? It’s just I’m really nervous,” she looked around anxiously, twirling her fingers, “Ha, you make me really nervous Reiji-san. Which is a real trip because I’m usually not nervous around guys. But I kind of really like it. The nervousness. Know what I mean?” she smiled tenderly up at him.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Right. See, this is what I wanted to talk to you about. Our boundaries and things like that. I don’t mind keeping us a secret. I know you like to keep things to yourself, which is why I didn’t try to sit next to you during the game or anything. But maybe we can tell some close friends? Although once someone knows then the _whole_ school knows, I mean you know how these things go-”

“Miss Motegi.”

Her head perked up, that same insolent smile on her face. “Yes, Reiji-san?”

“Just what are you implying?”

“Right, sorry. Talk to much. Should we tell people we’re going out or no?”

Reiji blinked, unsure if he had heard her correctly. “We are not an item.” he said flatly.

She crinkled her features, looking at him curiously, a small blush rising to her cheeks. “Oh, sorry. God I feel like I keep saying that today! Right ok, sorry, I just…like I said I’m not sure how these things work…do we have to kiss more? I always thought that came after the asking out…but I mean I guess we already passed that didn’t we?” she giggled to herself, “Oh! Unless, I mean, technically you never really _did_ ask. I don’t wanna rob you of that–”

“Miss Motegi.”

“Yeah?”

Reiji was beginning to find that smile more than just irritating.

“We are _not_ , and never _will be,_ an item.”

She scoffed, crinkling her features and shaking her head, “But you kissed me! Why would you kiss me if…” the smile faded, her face darkening to match the moonless sky. This couldn’t be happening. This was Reiji Sakamaki. He wouldn’t have just kissed her for no reason. There was no way he would take advantage of someone like that. He definitely wasn’t the whole ‘friends with benefits’ type. He was proper. He was a gentleman.

But he was also a Slytherin.

“But,” her voice was noticeably dry now, as though it were clinging to some last bit of hope, “But you–”

“It meant nothing.” he finished for her, wanting this all to be over so that he could retire to his room.

“Oh.” Her voice cracked, and though it was dark, Reiji could see the tears that rushed to her eyes much too quickly.

She was an idiot. He hadn’t _kissed_ her, he’d _bitten_ her. Like a fucking snake. Stupidstupidstupid. Oh for fucks sake. Was she really gonna _cry?_ How _old_ was she?

“Right! Ha! Oh, geez. I _totally_ misread that. Some Ravenclaw I am…” She took in a few shaky breaths. “Um,” she cleared her throat, lowering her gaze to the ground, her voice shaking now more than ever, “I know what everyone says but,” another breath, “I’m not into the whole ‘wham bam thank you mam’ thing so…” she pushed past him, not bothering to finish her sentence, Reiji watching as she wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve.

Finally, he was rid of her.

“You’re late. Again.” Ruki was sitting on the common room couches, book held open in one hand, as always. It had become a strange sort of comfort, the way he was always there, always giving her some sort of criticism. The way she’d always reply with a ‘fuck off, Ruki’ or a ‘oh, excuse me are you my _mom_ Ruki-kun?’

But she didn’t have the energy for that right now. So instead she simply muttered a low ‘sorry’ and rushed up the stairs to the girls’ dorms. He stopped her, though. Because Ruki Mukami was a bastard.

“What happened.”

“God, let me go. I’ll report you for harassment, you know-”

“Akari.”

She didn’t like when he got his serious face. Which was, actually, very different from his normal face, if you knew what to look for. Or if you’d just been in the same goddamn house with him as long as Akari had. She sighed, “It’s fine, Ruki. Just whatever. Can I go?”

“You’ve been crying. I’ve tried to tell Yuma, but unless you tell him to stop carrying you in such a–”

“It wasn’t Yuma. I’ve got three brothers, remember? He’s a bull in a china shop but I can handle that guy.”

They stared at each other in silence, Ruki not letting go of her arm, Akari getting more and more agitated.

“Well??”

“You haven’t told me yet.”

“Maybe I don’t _want_ to, you ever think of that, _Mom?_ ”

“Keep your voice down. The rest of the house is asleep.”

“Well who’s fault is that? You’re the one asking me all the questions!” she whisper-shouted.

“Akari.”

“It’s none of your damn business!”

His grip tightened around her wrist when she tried to get away, so she narrowed her eyes at him, but Ruki only returned the glare tenfold.

Akari rolled her eyes and let out an irritated growl. “If you must know. I got rejected, kay? Can I fucking go now?”

“That’s a joke.”

“It’s not! Fucking let me go.”

“By who?”

“By who what?”

“Who would reject you?”

She finally freed herself of his grasp, removing her arm rather brusquely, she herself nearly falling up the stairs. “Reiji Sakamaki.”

And without another word she dashed up the steps, leaving Ruki wearing a rather curious expression.

As much as she tried to avoid him that next morning, Ruki insisted on walking her to breakfast.

“They hell are you even doing up so early? I’m not a kid–”

“You act like one.” he replied smoothly.

They had become friends by default really. Akari wasn’t even sure if she’d call him a friend per se, but he was just always _there_. Same classes, same house. It just tends to happen when you’re in the same year. Other than the fact that he was a complete and total prick, there was a certain level of understanding between them that Akari appreciated. They’d both grown up in a rather spoiled lifestyle. Well at least, Ruki had at the beginning. The details of his childhood are rather blurred, and Akari knew the rumors of what had happened to that particular household, but it wasn’t something that was spoken of. In any case, Ruki was used to being the big brother, and Akari was used to being a younger sister.

So for the most part, it worked.

“I’m not even going to breakfast. So there.”

He stared at her, giving her that questioning look. Which again, was different from his normal expression, if you knew what to look for.

“I’m going to practice with Kuroe.” she explained, knowing he wanted an answer.

“You don’t play Quidditch.” he said flatly.

“Oh well.” she snapped back.

“Then I will escort you.”

“Escort me? The fuck Mom I’m not five years old.”

It happened anyway. And really, she was glad she didn’t have to walk alone that morning, because sure enough, they nearly walked right into a certain someone.

“Uh, I have to go to the bathroom.” Akari said quickly. Reiji hadn’t seen her yet, so if she made a mad dash to the girl’s lavatory, she’d save herself the embarrassment. But wait, what the hell was Reiji doing up so early anyway?? Did everyone just decide to wake up at 5am today??

Ruki, however, bastard that he was, simply wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in, keeping them on their path. “Don’t be weak.” he spat. Or, encouraged, Akari wasn’t sure.

Whatever the case though, she thought she was going to die.

Reiji was more surprised than he should have been. Ruki, though rather insolent and annoying, held similar characteristics to that of his own. Unlike Kou, he was composed and rather particular about his women, which was something Reiji could respect. He wasn’t sure why the Mukami had his arms around Akari’s waist, nor did he care. He did, however, find it perfectly fitting. Because again. She was, for all intents and purposes, used.

So why, _why_ in Merlin’s name did he feel so incredibly _irked?_


	9. Gryffindor Gossip

“GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!!”

The commotion from inside the Gryffindor common room was enough to stir the other students awake.

“Nee, Ayato-kun…there’s no point in getting upset over a game.” Laito tried consoling his older brother.

Ayato had almost managed to smash his fist through the portrait of the Fat Lady, but Shin caught his swing in time.

“Let it go, Ayato. The ref made the call, so there’s no point in getting mad. Besides…” he cracked his knuckles, “I’ve got a _special_ urge to do even more damage to those Slytherin bastards. Not all is lost.”

Ayato turned sharply and with his rage grabbed Shin by the front of his robes, his face twisted in fury.

“AND YOU! YOU ASSHOLE! WHY THE HELL DID YOU SAVE THAT STUPID BITCH? IT’S BECAUSE OF **HER** THAT WE HAVE TO DO THIS STUPID REMATCH!!”

Shin’s face remained calm during his tantrum, and grabbed Ayato’s wrists, squeezing them until they snapped back in an awkward position. Ayato growled in pain, as Shin forced him to his knees.

“I don’t think it’s any of your concern _what_ I do. But, if you’re so interested in my business, then maybe the blame should be directed at you. What were _you_ doing on their side of the pitch?” He hissed.

Ayato shut his lips tightly, doing his best to control his anger…and from answering Shin’s accusation. He didn’t want to let them know that he had made a bet, which was most likely the cause as to why the Slytherin captain acted the way she did. Bets were technically illegal during Quidditch, but that wasn’t enough to scare any of the players from continuing to make them. He shook himself out of Shin’s grip, and made to leave for his dorm.

“Tch. It’s none of your _concern_.” He mocked, “Do whatever you want with the Chichinashi. I don’t really care anymore.”

Before he turned to go, Laito burst out laughing, causing his brother to stop mid-step.

“Chichinashi? Who are you talking about?” Laito asked, interested in his answer.

Ayato gave him a confused look. “Slytherin captain, who else? There are no other girls on that team.”

Laito laughed even harder, doing his best to catch his breath while he spoke.

“Slytherin bitch? A Chichinashi? Ayato-kun, I know you’re slow but I never thought you were _blind_.”

Enraged, Ayato shoved Laito hard in the chest, causing him to stumble back into one of the armchairs.

“OY! I KNOW a Chichinashi when I see one, stupid! Even Shin knows that and he’s got one eye!”

Shin glowered in his direction, but refrained from saying anything.

Laito grinned in excitement, entertained by Ayato’s lack of attention when it came to the female body. Even he was surprised that his brother couldn’t tell whether a girl was flat-chested or not. When it came to explaining these things, however, Laito knew it was right up his alley. He would definitely have fun going out of his way to prove his brother wrong.

“Oh, but are you suuure? If you want, we can have a friendly little bet to see if you’re right or not.”

Ayato flinched at hearing the word “bet” but kept his dignity while in front of the others. He hesitated a bit before speaking.

“No, no bets. How can you be so sure she’s not a Chichinashi?” He questioned directly.

Laito chuckled, waiting for his brother to ask him that very question.

“Fufufu~ if you’d like for me to present you with evidence, then I can certainly do that. You’re going to have to listen to my instructions, though, or it won’t work.” He cautioned.

Ayato sighed in annoyance, already fed up with his brother’s stupid demands. Shin also directed his gaze onto Laito and glared at him, silently hoping he wouldn’t continue with this stupid conversation. He had heard enough about the filthy snake, and wanted nothing more to do with her.

“Aw, come on Ayato-kun! It’s not THAT difficult. All you have to do is get up really early tomorrow morning and head down to the Quidditch pitch.”

“The hell for? It’s not our practice time, besides, the Slyth—” He stopped midsentence, understanding Laito’s point. Laito raised his eyebrows at his brother in acknowledgment.

Ayato grinned. “Fine, we’ll go watch them practice. This had better be good…”

Laito sighed, a slight moan escaping his lips. “It will, because she’ll be there.”

“She? Obviously, she’s captain, she has to be there. And who the hell said you could go? You’re not a Quidditch player.” Ayato barked.

“Not Slytherin Bitch-chan! Her friend. Ahhh, I can almost smell her heavenly scent now.” A pink tinge coated Laito’s cheeks, an obvious sign that he was thinking of something highly indecent.

“Ha? She has friends? That’s a first.” Ayato snorted.

“Ayato-kuuuun, how can you not know of her dear friend? The delicious Akari bitch~”

Ayato rubbed his chin, trying to put a name with a face. “Um, is she in the same house?”

Laito exhaled loudly, clearly fed up with his brother’s ignorance. Fortunately, he didn’t have to explain anything this time.

“Really Ayato, you’re so stupid sometimes. She’s known as the Ravenclaw Vixen. Those two are always attached at the hip.” Shin cut in, his voice clearly annoyed.

“Nee, Shin-kun, do you want to go with us tomorrow? It’ll be fuuun~” Laito teased.

Shin ignored the hentai’s relentless whining. “Getting up early to perv on girls to see if they have tits or not? I think I’ll pass.” He turned to leave, but Laito kept pushing.

“Oh? I figured you’d be interested. But, I’m not the one with a HUGE crush on Slytherin bitch, nfu~”

Shin’s wand was pointed dangerously at Laito’s throat, his intentions clear on what he was prepared to do.

Laito held up his hands in mock defeat. “Did I strike a _nerve?_ ”

Shin glared daggers at Laito, refusing to allow this pervert to get the better of him. He withdrew his wand suddenly, and placed it inside his robes.

“ _Pinpon!_ Shin-kun, you’re so easy to read. Ah, the forbidden love between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin—”

Laito coughed out a loud, gasping noise after Shin knocked the air out of him. He hit his housemate straight in the solar plexus, making him drop straight to the floor. He wiped his hands afterwards as if it were nothing.

“I’ll meet you down here at 5 am. Don’t be late.” He warned Ayato. Shin stepped over Laito’s crumpled form and made his way towards the boys’ dormitory, leaving the Sakamakis alone in the common room.


	10. Creeping Perverts

As instructed, Ayato was waiting for everyone at 5 am sharp. Unfortunately, he was the only one waiting at the correct time. He was about to leave when Shin had just appeared through the boys dormitory, not bothering to look at the clock. Ayato rushed over to Shin with a desperate look on his face, and violently shook the front of his robes.

“Where the hell were you, Shin? We’re LATE!”

Shin yawned loudly, not quite alert yet, since he had just woken up.

“Hmph…what are you talking about? I said 5.” He caught himself doing another yawn.

“IT’S ALMOST 6 YOU ASSHOLE! YOU WOULDN’T WAKE UP SO I DECIDED TO LEAVE YOUR FURRY ASS AND GO WITHOUT YOU!”

Laito rose his head from the couch where he was snoozing. “Nee, Ayato-kun, don’t shout so much. You’re acting worse than Kanato-kun.”

Ayato’s face burned red, and took his anger out on his younger brother.

“So I’m the fucking hysteria now? I guess I should just leave both of you idiots here and do everything myself!”

He stomped towards the portrait of the Fat Lady, and let himself out of the Gryffindor Common Room. Laito stood up and walked next to Shin, who was still sleeping standing up.

“I guess we should go after him then before he gets himself into trouble.” Laito sighed. He nudged Shin, who almost fell down.

“Mm? Oh, yeah right. I’ll go get him.” He grunted.

Shin easily turned into a wolf, his senses more alert now that he was in his Animagus form. He raised his snout in the air and sniffed once, quickly tracking Ayato’s scent. He leaped out of the portrait hole, with Laito quick on his tail. They both ran through the corridors at top speed, until they made their way to the Quidditch pitch, where they could make out Ayato’s red hair heading straight for the barracks.

“Where the hell is he going? The Slytherins should be out on the field!” Barked Shin.

Laito rolled his eyes, sighing loudly. “Shin-kun, it’s 6 am, you overslept! The team has probably finished practicing by now.”

Shin growled under his breath, fed up that he wasted all that time running after Ayato for nothing. He transformed swiftly into his human form, as they both walked into the Slytherin barracks and back into the locker rooms, where Ayato was waiting impatiently. He flagged them down until all three of them were standing outside the girls’ locker room.

Shin groaned in frustration. “This is so stupid, I can’t believe we have to wait here—”

Ayato frantically covered Shin’s mouth with his hand, preventing him from saying another word. Shin glared at Ayato, appalled that he would do such a thing and touch him as if he were some delinquent child.

“Ehhh, I can hear two giggling bitches from out here, nfu~” Laito grinned, peeking his head into the crack of the door, trying to get a glimpse of the girls.

Ayato pulled Laito back by his robes, desperately trying to take control of the situation.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” He whispered harshly, “They’ll know that we’re out here!”

Laito whined and pushed his brother’s hand away from him. “How _else_ are we supposed to see them from where we are? I’m going inside. You can stay here if you don’t feel up to it…”

Laito knew that any subtle comments would be enough to send Ayato over the edge. It was quite easy in his experience, since his triplet was so simple minded that he would fall for the easiest ploy. Laito raised an eyebrow at him when he noticed Ayato standing straight with his chest puffed out, his lips spreading into a devilish grin.

“Fine, we’ll go inside…but I get to go in first.” He retorted.

Ayato shoved his way through his housemates and made his way to the door, peering through the crack to get a visual of the girls inside. He noticed that they weren’t anywhere near them, and waved his hand rapidly, letting Shin and Laito know that they could follow him in. The boys snuck in through the door and looked around inside, wondering where the girls had gone to. The boys perked up when they heard voices coming from the shower stalls.

“ _Why_ do you have to shower again? It’s not like you did any training. All you did was watch us from the stands.”

“I told you! The showers in the locker room are WAY cleaner than the ones we _normal_ students use. You wouldn’t understand, Ms. Captain, since you get access to the prefects’ bathroom!”

Kuroe appeared through the stalls and headed for her locker, not wearing any clothes, except for her bra and panties. Akari trotted behind her in nothing but a towel wrapped around her slender frame. She began pulling her robes out of her bag as they both began to change.

“I told you, if you wanted to take a bath in the prefects’ lavatory, you’re more than welcome to.”

Akari looked up, a hopeful expression beaming across her face. She smacked Kuroe’s back forcefully out of excitement.

“It’s about goddamn time! You’ve been holding out on me!” She grinned.

Kuroe rolled her eyes, hiding a small smile behind her long hair.

“You know I haven’t, all you had to do was ask. Honestly…” She brushed her hair back and styled it in her normal ponytail fashion she always wore.

Akari suddenly went quiet and sat on the bench next to Kuroe, silently playing with the fabric of her robes.

“Do you think he meant what he said?” Akari asked.

Kuroe frowned and placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder, squeezing it lightly.

“Give him time. This isn’t something he’s used to. I know what he did was cruel, but it’s just a defense mechanism. He’ll get over it eventually. The guy’s crazy about you after all.” She added slyly.

Akari perked up, the towel falling down, revealing more of her backside.

“Is he really? Did he say anything?”

Kuroe pursed her lips and shrugged, pretending not to know anything.

“Aww, come on! Gah, all you Slytherins are the same. I swear your way of teasing is how you really show affection. A bunch of fucking assholes, the lot of you.” Akari threw her robes on the bench, and began to undo her towel.

“Wait.”

Akari looked back at Kuroe who was focused on the pile of chairs at the end of the room. She looked curiously in her direction and noticed her friend whipping out her wand, taking aim to recite her incantation.

_“Reducto!”_

The spell caused a massive explosion, blasting the chairs into several tiny pieces. Once the debris of the aftermath collected on the floor, the incident caused three figures to reveal themselves.

“As I expected, we had eavesdroppers.” Kuroe stated matter of factly.

“More like creeping perverts.” Akari corrected her. “What the hell were you bastards doing snooping around?”

Ayato was the first to respond, his hair singed after the ordeal.

“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?! YOU COULD HAVE KILLED US YOU CRAZY BITCH!!”

“Nee, Bitch-chan, that was a really nasty spell. Good thing I moved in time or else I would have ended up like Ayato-kun.” Laito chuckled.

“WHY YOU!” Ayato jumped his brother and began strangling him, his fedora falling off to the side.

“Will someone PLEASE tell me what the hell you’re all doing here?! In case you’ve forgotten, WE’RE BOTH STILL NAKED!”

Akari placed her chin on top of Kuroe’s shoulder, whispering to her.

“Actually you have clothes on, I’m technically naked under this towel.” She reminded her.

“Really Akari…now _isn’t_ the time.” Kuroe smacked a hand on her forehead.

“Heeeeey Bitch-chan~ I waited for you to get out but you took so long. Aren’t you happy to see me?” Laito sang.

Akari rolled her eyes and waved back politely. “Heeeeey Laito. That’s _fantastic_. Could you get the fuck out so we can have some privacy?” Her sarcasm shone through her smile.

Laito whimpered, not wanting to let go of this situation.

“But Bitch-chan, I can help you put on your clothes! Everyone says I’m an expert with my wand after all.” He winked.

Akari sighed loudly out of frustration. “Could someone please remove him from here? I’d like to get ready without being sexually harassed.”

Ayato whipped his head back and yelled after Akari.

“Like you give a shit? You’re a slut, so why should it matter?”

Laito looked at Ayato with interest, wondering what possessed him to blatantly yell out something so shameful…and so gravely incorrect. There was something interesting about the Akari bitch, but it wasn’t what everyone at school thought. He kept quiet, however, excited about what was to happen next now that she had been exposed to what guys really think of her.

Akari stopped in her tracks but not before Kuroe marched over and held her wand in front of him, her face enraged.

“I wouldn’t be talking if I were you. In fact, I can make it so that you would never be able to speak again.” She threatened.

“Kuroe…”

Kuroe glanced back and saw that Akari had her own wand pointed at him. She smirked in realization and quickly stepped out of the way as her friend casted a silent charm on Ayato, which hit him directly in the face.

A dozen black bats began flying out of his nose, causing Ayato to shriek in horror, as the massive creatures fought their way through his nostrils and flew out, terrorizing and attacking him.

“GET THEM OUT OF ME! GET THEM OUT!!” Ayato wailed, running towards the door.

A light shone just as he opened the door, causing Ayato to fall back to the floor, completely reversing the hex that Akari put on him.

“It seems that students were complaining of a commotion coming from the locker rooms. As usual, it is always you three that are the culprits.”


	11. The Unbreakable Vow

Reiji adjusted his glasses before stepping inside the room, his face repulsed at the sight of his younger brother on the floor, cowering in fear.

“Ayato…if you’re going to whimper like a child, please remove yourself from my presence. I find it difficult to tolerate your behavior, even on a good day.”

“Fuck off, megane! I was almost killed by these stupid bitches! And you’re just going to defend them?!” He shouted.

Reiji sighed, pressing his fingers to his temple.

“It is impossible to be killed by a Bat-Bogey Hex. However, it seems that you have fully recovered, since you are so keen to yell vulgarities as if you were some uncultured swine.” He glared, causing Ayato to shut his mouth for the moment.

Without warning, Ayato shoved Reiji out of the way, his anger fueling him as he left the locker room, not bothering to continue arguing with his brother any longer.

“Laito, see to it that Ayato doesn’t get into anymore trouble. Merlin knows that Gryffindor needs all the house points they can get.” He replied sarcastically.

“Hai, hai. See you later, Bitch-chan! I promise next time we’ll be able to do more, nfu~” He winked.

Reiji watched his brother leave and shook his head, wondering how he could ever be related to this group of hooligans. He turned back to face Shin and explained his true purpose for meeting them here.

“The real reason I am here is because I was made aware that there were illegal practices going on amongst the Quidditch players…unfortunately one of them being from _my_ house.”

He glanced over at Kuroe, who covered herself quickly, suddenly feeling exposed, even though both girls were still undressed. Akari did her best to comfort her friend, knowing the situation he was referring to as well.

“Illegal practices? Such as?” Shin demanded, stepping forward to face Reiji. Since both of them were prefects, Shin had no problem showing authority in front of the cocky Slytherin. In fact, he prided himself in stirring up trouble with this house every chance he got.

Reiji could see through his facade and ignored it, having better things to do. It was quite troublesome having to deal with his brothers, since they liked to complicate things. He wouldn’t admit it to himself, but out of all the situations he had to be in, it had to be the one where she was involved…

He put on his best smile, quickly disregarding the thought he just had.

“Why, such as conducting illegal bets before a game? I know the identities of the guilty members involved, but I’m only here to see if they would be willing to redeem themselves by confessing…that way their punishments will be _much_ less severe.”

Kuroe automatically stepped forward and bowed in front of Reiji, doing all she could to regain the respect she had from him.

“I’m sorry Reiji-san. I participated in the bet. I wasn’t thinking and I almost jeopardized the game by acting foolish.”

Shin raised his eyebrows in realization, now understanding why the snake acted the way she did during the game. He narrowed his gaze at her, his anger with her beginning to rise, until Reiji interrupted.

“Yes, thank you Miss Katsuragi. It is honorable of you to admit what you did, however, I am very disappointed that you acted so carelessly…and with my brother of all people. I have no choice but to dock 10 points from Slytherin and give you detention.”

Kuroe bit her lip and stepped back towards Akari, nodding at his decision.

“Yes Reiji-san, I understand.”

“As for you, Shin. It seems my brother Ayato was the other culprit in this little game. However, seeing as how you’re the one responsible for what his punishment will be, I have no choice but to allow whatever bet they made to be reconciled. It is within the ancient magic of the school that any type of contract made must be settled, or severe consequences will ensue.”

He pulled out his wand and motioned for Kuroe to come over to him, which she did automatically.

“Since Ayato is no longer here, I must find another participant to settle the deal you two egregiously made. I would do it myself, yet being the most skilled wizard here, I have to decline, since I will be monitoring the spell I am about to perform.”

Kuroe looked at him confused, not understanding what spell he was referring to; at least, not until Akari ran up to him to stop what he was about to do.

“You can’t do this Reiji-san! It’s prohibited to use that spell here!”

She looked at him earnestly, her eyes filled with a fiery passion that Reiji had never noticed before. He glared at her for not only interrupting him, but in the fact that she knew what spell he was about to use. Reiji quickly regained his composure, cursing himself for allowing this foolish woman to break into his thoughts so easily.

“And I suppose the Bat-Bogey hex is completely innocent to use? On another student no less? Before you accuse others, Miss Motegi, I would advise you look to yourself first. Maybe one day my words will sink into that head of yours and you will finally understand what I am telling you.”

Kuroe’s jaw tightened at Reiji’s harsh words. She may be close to him, with both of them being in the same year and house, but she would not tolerate any type of cruelty towards her best friend.

“What do you need me to do, Reiji-san. The faster we do this, the sooner you boys can leave. You _are_ in the girls’ locker room, after all.” She said snidely.

Reiji gave Kuroe a dark look, disapproving of her tone. She knew better than to best him, especially since he is the keeper of a very personal secret that would cause a major upheaval to her reputation if it happened to get out…

“I need you to tell me the details of your bet so that I may perform the Unbreakable Vow. It is the only way to settle this disaster of a situation, and I will volunteer to act as the Bonder so that these matters will settle quickly.”

Kuroe nodded. “We agreed that if I had cheated at all during the game, that he would take my broom. If I didn’t cheat, he would have to do whatever I asked of him for an entire week.”

Reiji pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, clearly unsatisfied with her answer.

“Are those the exact words? If they are not, then I will have to investigate matters further.”

Kuroe shifted uncomfortably. “Well…his exact words were “this chaser will be your personal slave for a week”.”

Reiji placed a gloved finger to his chin, thinking intensely. He looked over to Shin, who had been doing his best to control his rage at his housemate, when an idea came to him.

“Shin…you are a chaser for the Gryffindor team, correct?”

Shin looked at him as if he were the biggest idiot in the room. He exhaled loudly, letting this golden opportunity pass by to insult the Slytherin for his ignorance.

“ _Obviously._ ” He added.

Reiji smiled in return, pleased at how his plan was slowly coming together.

“Then it’s settled. Since Ayato is not here to agree to the contract, then you will fill it in his place.”

Everyone looked at Reiji like he had gone mad. Kuroe was the first to violently protest to this blasphemy of an idea.

“Absolutely NOT! I refuse to make the…uh, what is it called again?”

“The Unbreakable Vow!” Akari replied.

Kuroe gave her a thumbs up. “Yes, that! I refuse to allow that jackass the dignity of doing what I want of him! Besides, the guy hates me! He would rather eat dirt than—”

“I’ll do it.”

Kuroe and Akari both looked at him as if he grew an extra head. Shin calmly strolled up to Kuroe, towering over her, looking her straight in the eyes. She involuntarily shuddered at his cool demeanor, suddenly worried that he would hurt her like he did the last time they were alone in the locker room.


	12. Let the Binding Begin!

Reiji clapped his hands, ready to settle this matter once and for all.

“Very well then, we shall perform the binding. I need you both to come as close to me as you can.”

Kuroe and Shin both walked up to Reiji, awaiting his next instructions.

“Now, I need you two to kneel. Miss Katsuragi, you will state the exact words in accordance to the bet you made.”

Kuroe glared at Shin, this situation turning more into a showdown instead of a binding. Shin smirked at her and held his hand out in front of his chest.

“Ladies first.” He said politely.

Kuroe clenched her fists tightly, doing her best to not deck him right here and now. Even his voice pissed her off. She knew he only said that to assert his dominance over her, and to prove a point. Of course he wouldn’t kneel before a Slytherin. He wanted her to do it first, so he could boast later that Gryffindors were superior to Slytherins. Her hatred for him had no limits.

Akari cleared her throat behind them, feeling the tension that surrounded the room between the quarreling pair. She knew Kuroe was stubborn, but that Shin was unpredictable.

Kuroe reacted upon hearing her friend’s signal and bit her cheek, needing to relieve her anger by replacing it with pain. She got down on her knees, her eyes never breaking contact with Shin’s gaze. His smile grew wider, making Kuroe grimace under him. She hated herself for having to do that, but it was just one small battle he won. She’d make sure to win the war.

“I need you to take each other’s right hands and clasp them firmly together. You must make sure to not break your hold, or the aftermath will be severe.” Reiji warned.

Kuroe snorted. Now she had to hold his hand? It seemed everything was against her today. At least she could tolerate this on some level. Shin held out his hand first, and Kuroe roughly grabbed it, squeezing it with all her strength. She grinned right back at him, to show that she had no intention of letting him get the best of her.

His reaction was still not something she expected. He didn’t grip her hand with the same intensity, but adjusted it so that she could crush his hand as much as she wanted. Kuroe knew something was off when he didn’t fight back, which caused her to become even angrier.

_Fight back, you devil! I know you hate me as much as I hate you!_

She couldn’t fathom why he refused to play on the same level as she was. In fact, it enraged her so much that she even saw it as a tactic of his to show that she was the one with the issue, not him. Very clever. It wasn’t enough to make her care, though, so she continued squeezing his hand mercilessly, gaining some comfort from the thought that she was actually hurting him.

“Miss Katsuragi, state your conditions. I will begin the binding now.”

Reiji positioned his wand directly at their hands, the tip igniting into a bright flaming red. He looked at Kuroe to begin the vows.

“Do you, Shin, agree to be my personal slave for a week, according to the bet I made with Ayato?”

Shin gave her a murderous glare, but Kuroe didn’t budge. He couldn’t believe she had to say it like that, but thanks to Ayato’s lack of vocabulary skills, he had no choice but to agree. Unbreakable Vows weren’t something to mess with.

“I will.” He stated regretfully.

The red glow of Reiji’s wand intensified, the light turning into a red web that wound its way around both of their hands after Shin’s acceptance. Kuroe gasped as the red glow traveled up her arm, feeling at a loss for words at the warmth and sheer power from the spell. She wondered if Shin felt the same way she did. She quickly shook her head and tried to concentrate.

“Do you, Shin, agree to fulfill the requirements of the bet Ayato and I made in his place?”

“I will.” This time, he squeezed her hand, causing her to jolt out of surprise. He chuckled softly, which made Kuroe blush out of embarrassment for her reaction.

Once the red glow of both participants vanished, Reiji lifted his wand and placed it securely back into his robes.

“You will do well to follow the requirements of the contract. If not, I am afraid to say that this will be the last time we speak to one another…”

Kuroe and Shin refused to let go of each other’s hands. Kuroe didn’t know why, but she just couldn’t feel the need to release her hold on him. Maybe it was due to stubbornness or her hatred, but she felt she had to prove a point. She wanted to show that she wasn’t afraid of him.

“Why is that?” She asked Reiji, refusing to break eye contact with Shin, who stared at her with just as much vigor.

Reiji glanced over at Akari, nodding at her to answer in his place. “Miss Motegi? You seem to have quite the knowledge of spells. Would you care to explain to your friend why she mustn’t break her vow?”

Akari felt crushed, knowing that he was making her answer on purpose to rub in the fact that he was a cruel person. She still couldn’t believe he was entirely bad, no matter how terrible his words were, but she didn’t want to show weakness in front of him either. She stood up with her shoulders back and looked him straight in the eyes while answering.

“Because if any of you break any part of the vow…you both die.” She stated calmly.

Kuroe’s eyes widened in horror, her hand beginning to shake at hearing Akari’s response. Kuroe flinched when she felt a softness rub the back of her hand, noticing that it was Shin’s finger who had brushed it. For a moment, she wondered if Shin was actually trying to console her. She closed her eyes, but refused to let go of his hand, holding on to the comfort that maybe they wouldn’t die if she didn’t release her grip.

“Now that this delay has been settled, see to it that you all make it to class in time. As for the contract requirements, _do_ complete them in a timely matter. And make sure that something like this never happens again. I won’t be as forgiving next time.”

Reiji made his way to the door and exited the locker room. Kuroe had no sense of time, and she didn’t even know how long she stayed there, holding onto Shin’s hand with her life. Shin broke away from her grip, getting up to leave for the door as well. Kuroe stood up and desperately grabbed his arm.

“Wait! We have to do this right now. I can’t have you breaking the vow!” She screamed at him, unaware of how loud her voice echoed.

Shin looked back at her, unamused at having her touch him so casually. He would have let it go, but she tried to make demands of him. That was just something he couldn’t let slide.

“There was no vow made on a time to begin. Besides, don’t you have better things to do? Or do you want to be around me that badly?”

He gave her his infamous smirk. The one she hated with every fiber of her being. She gritted her teeth, refusing to let him get under her skin.

“I just wanted to make sure you didn’t mess up. At least I have the decency to get this over with. It’s not like you have any sense of dignity, so I have to make sure you’re doing your part.”

Shin walked up to her and grabbed her forcefully by the chin, bringing her face up to his. Akari moved automatically to stop it, but Shin held his wand out at her, keeping his gaze on Kuroe the entire time.

“Ah ah. Make one move and I’ll turn you into dust. As for you…”

He stroked Kuroe’s cheek tenderly as he stared into her fear stricken eyes. It was one thing for her to rile him up, but he just assumed he had to physically show her how she made him feel. This girl was so dumb that she couldn’t take any hints, yet he didn’t see that as a problem. He enjoyed making her tremble before him, and got off on their fights, be they physical or verbal. He was the only one who could do that to her, after all.

“I agreed to play your stupid game, so you better watch out. You owe me more than you know.” He shoved her back, turning to leave before she called out for him again.

“How can I get in contact with you?” She demanded.

He turned around and looked at her, entertained at how persistent she was. She just didn’t know when to give up. He smiled at the thought of using that to his advantage. He would definitely enjoy breaking in this tenacious little snake bitch.

“Don’t worry…I’ll find you.” With that, he exited the locker room, leaving both girls alone once again.

Kuroe stared after him, refusing to hear any reason. Her thoughts were a gigantic shitstorm in her head, and she held onto Akari for support.

“Woah…heavy.” Akari breathed after her friend’s spectacle. “Sucks to be you though. An Unbreakable Vow with him?” She shuddered on purpose for effect.

Kuroe sighed, her energy drained from everything that happened. “I can’t believe I actually did it.”

Akari smacked her back hard. “I know! I mean you’ve got yourself into some crazy shit before, but damn girl! You really didn’t think this one through!” She giggled.

Kuroe gave her a half smile, and realized that they still had classes to attend.

“Damn it! What time is it?! I forgot we had class.”

She rushed to put on her robes, not bothering to straighten them out or look presentable. Akari groaned, but decided to at least put on something. She was tired of wearing nothing but the towel.

“Shit. I’m really not looking forward to this one.”

Kuroe looked back at her, not understanding what she was talking about. “Hmm? Why?”

Akari threw her uniform shirt at Kuroe’s face. “Really Kuroe, are you that dense? Hello? We have Potions together? Reiji-san is in there, too?”

Kuroe made an O with her mouth in realization. “Right, right, sorry.”

Akari rolled her eyes and grinned. Her friend could be pretty aggressive when it came to guys, but she was just as clueless when it came to anything outside her own little world.

“Well, it doesn’t matter, let’s hurry up and go. We have to figure how the hell you’re going to get out of this situation. WITHOUT dying.”

Kuroe nodded in agreement, her motivation coming back to her. “Yeah…plus, we gotta get Reiji-san to take you back.”

Akari’s face flushed. “That’s not as important, you dolt! Why do we need to include him in our plan?”

Kuroe looked at Akari like the reason flew right by her head.

“Because if we don’t, then I won’t get a decent night’s rest. He’ll be barking my ear off in the common room, then I’d have no choice but to sneak you in to deal with him.”

The two girls continued chatting until they were fully dressed and ran off to hurry towards their Potions class.


	13. The Not-So-Calm After The Storm

The bell chimed loudly, signaling the end of classes. Kuroe and Akari both walked out of the dungeons together, bickering, as usual, over the lessons of their recent class.

“Kuroe, I’m telling you, I know it was him!”

“Akari, for the last time, I highly doubt it was Reiji-san you smelled. It’s not like that potion is the ‘end all’ for finding your one true love. Professor Slughorn himself said it just causes a strong infatuation.”

Akari sighed, deep in thought.

“Look, you may not believe me, but I know that last smell was him. I was _that_ close to him, so I could tell! He kissed me for fuck’s sake, how could I not take everything else in?” She grinned wildly, recalling the memory that turned her world upside down.

Kuroe gave her a confused look and shrugged, knowing when to call it quits when it came to their disagreements.

“Fine, if you say so.”

Akari quirked an eyebrow, nudging her friend. “So tell me, hot shot. What did you smell?” She asked innocently.

Kuroe grimaced, but hid her expression quickly, pretending not to be interested.

“Not much. Seabreeze, the grass after it’s been soaked by rain, and…” She popped something into her mouth, “These.”

Akari laughed. “Almonds? Talk about a radical shift in smells. Do those even have a scent? I like peanut butter, but you don’t see a lot of foods using almonds unless they sweeten it with vanilla first.”

“Really? I like to eat them plain, but they have a strong scent to me. It’s not quite like peanut butter, but they have a good aftertaste—”

Kuroe was cut off when someone pushed into her, knocking all of her books onto the floor.

“Watch where you’re going, _Snake._ ”

Kuroe stood and glared at him, refusing to back down. She was getting fed up with his childish antics.

“Pick them up.” She demanded.

Shin stopped and slowly turned his head to face Kuroe.

“The fuck did you just say?” He hissed.

Kuroe had an equally scary face, and walked closer, lowering her voice as well.

“Did I stutter?” She spat.

Shin clenched his fists and aggressively came toward Kuroe, until Akari intervened.

“Guys PLEASE stop this! Isn’t it enough you two have the threat of the Unbreakable Vow? At least _try_ and act like civilized witches and wizards.”

Akari had pressed herself in between Shin and Kuroe, pushing both of them back with her hands. They wouldn’t let up, and Akari had to resort to shoving Kuroe hard, trying to knock some sense into her friend.

Shin stood back and cackled, amused at the spectacle.

“Fine. Just don’t be surprised if something were to happen during class. There are lots of creatures that have snake on their menu.”

He smirked and walked off towards the castle grounds, leaving Akari and Kuroe behind. Kuroe was baring her teeth and digging her nails into her palms, in an attempt to release her anger. Akari smacked her hard on the back, almost knocking the wind out of her.

“What the hell was that about? Look, I know the guy pisses you off, but you seriously have to think before reacting like that. Jesus fuck Kuroe, your life is at stake! Don’t be doing something stupid like that again!”

Kuroe narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips together, forming a thin line. She didn’t like to admit Akari was right, but she nodded, agreeing with her friend. It was fortunate that she was there, or else she would have really gotten herself into trouble.

“Yeah, sorry.” She grunted, rubbing the back of her neck.

Akari smiled and stuck her tongue out. “BA-KA! And to think, you have class with him next.”

Kuroe sighed angrily. “Don’t remind me. I’d give anything to change classes right now so I don’t have to see his stupid face.”

Akari tapped her chin in thought. “Well, you could take Divination for me if you want to~”

Kuroe rolled her eyes. “I’m not that desperate. Since when did they offer that horrible class at the N.E.W.T. level anyway? Trelawney is an eyesore. No one takes her seriously.”

“Oh come off it, Kuroe. Trelawney doesn’t teach N.E.W.T. level Divination. Everyone takes it to get a look at Professor Firenze. He is a gorgeous centaurian after all. He represents my sign just perfectly!”

Kuroe grinned slyly. “Ah ha, of course. You go have fun counting your little stars with your smoky fortune teller balls. I’ll actually be learning something.”

Akari smirked, giving Kuroe the middle finger. “Oh, I will. Don’t get too jealous now!”

Kuroe chuckled and nodded to her friend. “See you later, Sag.”

Akari waved and took off towards the Astronomy tower, leaving Kuroe to backtrack, making her way outside the castle grounds.


	14. Reiji's Proposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter written by madamemalfoy21
> 
> *The OC Irina belongs to mylittlegravityfalls on Tumblr. We do not own her and no one is allowed to use her without her permission.  
> She has allowed Madame and I to incorporate her character into our story.*

She should’ve let it go. Because maybe Kuroe was right. And infatuation was a bad thing, of course. Not to mention there were bigger things to worry about. You know, like Unbreakable Vows. But Akari knew what she’d smelled. Pecan pie. Because duh, who doesn’t like pecan pie? Butterbeer. Again, duh. Butterbeer was fucking delicious. And then, cutting through all that had been…Reiji. Just Reiji. And it smelled… _good._

Plus! She hadn’t told Kuroe, but Reiji had practically given himself away when he was describing amortentia to the rest of the class.

He said he smelled lavender. _Lavender_.

Either it was another cruel joke or he’d slipped up. And she was seriously hoping he’d slipped up. Because if he was smelling lavender then maybe he was actually smelling her?

She’d forgive him, of course. What he’d done was sort of messed up but…this was _Reiji-san._

Maybe Kuroe was right. Maybe she was infatuated.

But for now she had to get to Divination.

Ew.

She caught sight of Yuma, which was easy enough, considering he was the only guy carrying another student over his shoulders.

“Bear!”

He stopped at her call, turning around and effectively banging Shu’s head against a pillar, making the blonde groan in complaint.

“My bad. Hurry up, ‘Kari. We’re already late.”

“Wanna skip?” she suggested.

A garbled ‘yes’ was heard from Shu’s sleeping form.

“Where to?” Yuma asked, “We already skipped last week.”

She pouted, sticking out her bottom lip, “But that class is nothing but bad vibes. All creepy and the people in there are weird…”

Yuma rolled his eyes. “You’re just hungry.”

“That too.”

“Eat after class. You’re gonna get us both kicked out.”

Akari whined while Shu continued to snore, grudgingly following Yuma towards their shared class.

With a large, frustrated sigh, she took her seat between the two boys, nudging Shu over since his elbows were in her space. She stared at him for a bit, thinking he had the right idea about things. Maybe she should sleep. Sleep and not think about how nice Reiji’s lips looked when he’d blurted out the word ‘lavender.’

Ok, well, not really blurted. Reiji Sakamaki didn’t _blurt_ anything. He was far too perfect.

She groaned inwardly.

But he’d rejected her so it didn’t matter. He was nothing but an asshole. A stupid, perfect, very well dressed and composed asshole. Who knew how to use big words properly.

That’s probably what it was. Akari had always been a very big fan of words. And anyone who could express themselves correctly while using them. It was definitely something she lacked, since she relied heavily on sound effects, curse words, and part of her own made up language. Mostly just cuss words, though.

Divination couldn’t end fast enough, the trio finally able to enjoy their time out on the grass, eating outside as always.

Akari looked over Yuma’s shoulder as he pulled out his lunch, crinkling her features, “Baby carrots?”

Shu snickered as he lay flat on the grass, smile curling despite his closed eyes. “The vegetarian.”

Yuma groaned, tossing the bag to Akari, “Take ‘em.”

Akari looked at him questioningly, but wasn’t about to pass up free food. “I don’t get what the problem is. She’s just being nice.”

“The fucking _problem,_ ‘Kari,” Yuma growled, “Is she’s the fucking headboy’s woman.”

Akari shrugged, “So?”

Shu snickered again, taking a carrot from the small bag Akari was holding, an audible crunch as Yuma inhaled.

“So? So I don’t want fucking Carla breathing down my goddamn neck. Plus Irina is kinda…”

Akari smacked his leg, “Don’t you dare. That girl is precious!”

“She’s fucking crazy!”

Akari stuck her tongue out at him, Shu’s hands sneaking into the baggy once more, “Because she gave you baby carrots? Oh yeah. Call the police.”

“I don’t want the bitch giving me carrots! I’ve got my own!”

Akari smacked his leg again, “Don’t call her that! She’s perfectly sweet!”

Another loud crunch was heard, before Shu’s soft voice interrupted them both, “Curious isn’t it? How you two always end up as partners?”

Both looked down at his sprawled out form.

“It’s like she sets it up beforehand or some shit.” Yuma agreed.

Akari waved it away. “Don’t flatter yourself. Anyone would choose Carla over you, Bear.”

“Gee, ‘Kari, thanks so fucking much.” Yuma bellowed in that low voice of his, plopping his head down on Akari’s lap, upon which she tried to feed him a carrot, but he turned his head in refusal.

“Aw, come on,” she wiggled it, “Open up.”

“I don’t want Irina’s fucking carrots. She probably spiked em with some love spell or somethin.”

“Like I said,” Akari popped another one into her mouth, tossing the last one to Shu, “No one would choose you over Carla.”

Yuma reached up, grabbing the top of her neck and flipping her around, her head practically smacking the ground as her legs flew up in the air, “No one would choose _you_ over Carla!” he retorted stupidly.

Akari laughed, engaging in this sudden brawl with her friend, “I wouldn’t expect them to!” she argued, just as pettily.

From a distance, Reiji watched the three… _idiots_ …while he calmly ate his apple. The Mukami seemed to have no sense in him, treating Akari as though she were male herself. The way he’d grabbed her was appalling, what with her skirt riding up the way it did.

She looked just as she always did; at least for the short time that he’d known her. Idiotic smile, whiny voice, _atrocious_ composure. Despite all that, she did not give herself away, not during the fiasco in the Slytherin changing rooms, and not in Potions, which they shared.

Reiji found that particularly irritating considering how _broken_ the creature had looked just last night. Then again, she was so fickle a woman, it should come as no surprise. Especially now, with her legs draped over that disgusting half-blood, her laughter filling the courtyard.

Of course, Reiji knew, given the right balance and structure, she could become a proper lady worthy of the Motegi name. It would take quite a bit of conditioning, he reasoned with himself; he might even be required to break her, if need be. In order to build her back up, of course. Sculpt her to perfection. And, Reiji had to admit, the expression she wore last night, tears filling her eyes, bottom lip trembling, was not so unpleasant. In fact, he’d quite like to see it again.

But for now, she was nothing but disappointment.

It was intriguing, however, the way she had the attention of every male. And the scorn of every female. It became very apparent very quickly that she had very few female friends. Reiji could not determine if that was a positive trait or not. But suddenly, he got a wicked idea. 

His train of thought was broken, though, when a third year ran up to her, giving her a light spank on her bottom, and then running away. She reacted rather quickly, throwing him one hex or another. If nothing else, her magic was polished. Worthy of the Motegi name indeed.

“Fucking little shits I swear to god!”

Her language, however, was not.

The Mukami laughed. “If you didn’t wear such short fucking skirts that wouldn’t happen all the goddamn time.”

Reiji had to agree to that.

Akari turned her wand to the Mukami, giving him quite the deadly glare. “I can wear whatever the fuck I want! That’s rape culture thinking Yuma.”

“Whatever, ‘Kari, your skirts are too short.”

“Fucking–”

“So _loud._ ” Shu grumbled.

Yuma chuckled. “Whiney ass brat. Fine fine. Wear whatever the fuck you want.”

“I fucking will.”

Reiji watched as she linked arms with the Mukami, and his good-for-nothing brother, laughing and spitting out stupid words. Some female students walked passed, who seemed to have been watching the incident, just as Reiji had.

“God can she _be_ any more obvious?” one said.

“Do they know she’s screwing them both?” replied the other.

“I heard they have threesomes all the time.”

“She’s the literal worst. But damn I’d give anything to be with Shu.”

“You take Shu and I’ll take Yuma,” the girls laughed, “What’s so good about that slut anyway?”

Reiji cringed, wondering if any of it was true. Rumors, of course, had a tendency to spread falseness, but from the way Akari acted, it was hardly a stretch. Particularly if one considered the way she clung to the Mukami brother.

The girls had passed now, and Akari was within close enough range for him to speak without shouting.

“Miss Motegi.” he called, once the group had gotten close enough.

The trio stopped, all three of them turning around to face him. Akari quickly let go of the two males. “Oh. Reiji-san.”

“A word, if you will.”

She glanced back at the two boys, the Mukami shrugging it off and Shu already continuing on his way, adjusting his headphones. Akari walk-ran up to Reiji, folding her hands in front of her. “Yeah?”

“Are you aware of what others are saying about you?”

“Um not really. It’s bad juju to listen to that stuff-”

“I beg your pardon?”

She blinked. “Bad juju. You know. Bad vibes. Not good.”

“Are you indeed in a relationship with those two… _students?_ ”

Akari burst into laughter. “Oh god! Are you fucking serious? Not enough that I’ve banged the whole school but now I’m in a polyamorous relationship. Classic.”

Reiji raised his brow and Akari cleared her throat. “Right. No. Definitely not. First, ew. Yuma is like my best bro. Plus he’s like _huge_ jesus fuck can you imagine how big his dick would be? I’d fucking die.”

Reiji was too shocked to retort, but she didn’t seem to notice, since she kept going. “And Shu’s so fucking lazy I swear I don’t think he’s got the energy to get it up in the first place so, I don’t really know where people are getting all this eiffel tower bullshit from. I mean I get that we hang out–”

At this, Reiji did speak. “Eiffel Tower?”

Akari nodded, forming a triangle with her hands, “Yeah, you know it’s when you’ve got…” her voice trailed off, and she shook her head, “Uhh, nevermind! What did you wanna talk to me about?”

He raised his eyebrow, not fully convinced, but spoke anyway.

“I have a proposition for you.”

“I’m too young to be married.” she said quickly, laughing to herself. Reiji merely looked at her. She bit her lip, fingers tugging nervously at the ends of her skirt.. “Sorry. Go on. But really, like I said last time, I’m not into friends with benefits-”

“Yes, I heard you just fine the first time, Miss Motegi. This would be a rather exclusive agreement. Should you accept, then you will, from this day forward, belong to me.”

Reiji watched as her eyes lit up. “You bastard! I knew you didn’t mean it! That was mean, you know, putting me through that shit. I swear, you fucking Slytherins–”

“This will not be a typical relationship, Miss Motegi. We are not sweethearts. You will instead become my property.”

Akari scoffed, “Your property.”

Reiji replied with a curt nod.

Akari thought about that. “So I’ll belong to you.”

“Yes.”

“And you’ll belong to me?”

“Not quite.”

“But it’ll be exclusive won’t it?”

“I believe I already described it as such.” He said strictly. 

Akari smiled. “Ok. I’ll take it then.” She picked up her wand, waving it over her arm, elegant script appearing on the skin.

_Property of Reiji-san._

She laughed, “Done! It’s got a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

Reiji took out his own wand, adjusting the wording so that it read _Property of Reiji-sama_ instead.

“Damn. Who died and made you king?”

“As of now, then, Miss Motegi, there will be some things that will change.”

“You wanna walk me to class, that sort of thing?”

“Not particularly. Firstly, you will refrain from using such vulgar language–”

“Oh well I can’t help that. It’s just who I am.”

Reiji smiled, “I believe given the right initiative you can become a proper lady.”

Akari snorted. “Sure good luck with that. My mom would love you for it.”

“Secondly you will refrain from wearing such short skirts. They only serve to promote your promiscuity.”

“Yeah, I’m not doing that.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Reiji. My legs look damn fine in these skirts. I like it this way.”

He couldn’t particularly… _argue_ with that. For now he’d dismiss it, in the interest of time. He’d have plenty of time to adjust her habits later on. Instead he moved on to his final point, “That streak in your hair will be removed. It’s quite–”

“Oh but green’s my favorite color! And plus it matches your House!” she perked up at that, smiling widely at him.

He sighed. He’d need to work on that irritating habit she had of interrupting. But Reiji had more patience than would be necessary to mold her to his liking. And he was not one to stray from a challenge. Soon enough, he’d ensure every one of his rules will be followed, no matter the cost.

“Hey, Reiji-san…” she pulled him from his thoughts, suddenly became very timid, tracing the words that claimed her left arm, “So…that means you meant it right? When you kissed me? You weren’t doing it just because?” She carried a shy smile paired with hopeful eyes that were enough to make Reiji gag.

“I do not act without motive.”

She perked up once again, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek that he hadn’t been expecting. “Ok! We’ll talk more after, ok? I gotta get to class. But I’ll see ya!” she shot him a wave as she ran, skirt hiking up as she did.

Reiji had quite a bit of work ahead of him.


	15. Care of Magical Creatures

Kuroe took off sprinting to her class. Even though she had a row earlier with Shin, she wasn’t going to let him hinder her spirits about attending her favorite class. She ran swiftly pass the Herbology garden, smiling when she could see the Gamekeeper’s hut. She slowed to an easy pace when she realized that none of her other classmates were in sight.

_Good, I’m not late._ She thought.

Care of Magical Creatures at the N.E.W.T. level was different than the other classes at Hogwarts. Only 6th and 7th year students were allowed to take N.E.W.T. courses, but because Care of Magical Creatures had a small enrollment rate, the Headmistress allowed 4th and 5th years to enter the course; with permission from the teacher.

Kuroe had been in this class since her third year, and was very close with Professor Hagrid. Magizoology was her passion, and she did her best to learn everything he was able to teach her. Being gamekeeper, Hagrid had a knack for teaching the course by bringing in live animals to study from in their natural habitat. There had been plenty of accidents, but Kuroe and her classmates would make sure to protect Hagrid from any persecution and damage to his reputation. They all behaved like a family unit, having each other’s backs and supporting one another in their educational career. It could almost be called perfect…minus the shit stain that was Tsukinami Shin.

Kuroe rolled her eyes, wondering how she was able to put up with him after all these years; especially with him being the _cause_ of the majority of her accidents in this class.

She set her bag on the ground, taking out her textbook, which was snapping wildly at her. She calmly stroked the spine, causing it to relax and allowed her to read from its pages. Kuroe had studied the book several times, but she was still able to learn new things she may have overlooked every time she opened it. She hadn’t been paying attention when a shadow loomed over her, blocking her vision.

“Kuroe-san…you’re here…early.”

She looked up and was met with glossy eyes staring back at her.

“Hey Azusa-kun. I haven’t seen Hagrid yet, so I decided to wait until someone came by.” She stood up, gently placing the book on the ground so as not to disturb it from its slumber.

“Mmm…I saw him…earlier…with Subaru-kun…and Shin-san.”

Kuroe frowned upon hearing that name, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“Did he say what we had to do for today?”

Azusa brought his hand up to his mouth and began chewing on his bandages, deep in thought.

“I think…he said to…find something.”

Kuroe grinned, shaking her head. Azusa was always polite with her, and she always felt awkward around him whenever it came to his swarm of fangirls that stalked him. Come to think of it, it was pretty typical behavior for the majority of the guys in Hufflepuff house.

“Find what exactly?” She had already started walking around Hagrid’s hut, half listening to Azusa as he spoke.

“Find some…missing eggs.”

Kuroe stepped farther out, walking along the edge of the Forbidden Forest. She jumped back a bit when her foot kicked over something hot.

“OUCH!!! What was that?!” She yelped, grabbing onto her foot.

Azusa called from the other side. “Kuroe-san…are you hurt?”

She smiled widely when she realized what she had stepped on.

“Look Azusa-kun, I found an egg!”

The egg was red and shined brightly, its core pulsating with an intense heat. Kuroe was mesmerized by it, her eyes burning with just as much fervor. She couldn’t help but want to reach out to touch it, her mind suddenly turning blank. The only focus she had was taking that egg, until someone else intervened.

“WATCH OUT!!!”

Kuroe was shoved aside as her classmate crouched down protecting her, his firm chest pressing into her face. The egg that she almost touched ignited and exploded into a powerful fire that engulfed the entire area it surrounded. Kuroe closed her eyes and held onto her protector tightly, hoping that they wouldn’t be burned in the process.

“Heeeeh. See? I told you the fucking snake would destroy it. Looks like I win. Cough up your galleons, Sakamaki.”

Kuroe snapped her eyes open upon hearing Shin’s voice and stared into a ruby gaze, much like her own. Subaru’s face was inches from hers, his expression full of concern.

“You okay?”

Kuroe narrowed her eyes and looked to the side, upset that she was caught in this situation.

“I’m fine.” She said through tight lips.

Subaru took it as his cue to get off of her, and he obliged. Kuroe stood up and straightened her robes, her cheeks flushed red. She didn’t know why she tried to grab the egg, but she was beginning to repeat this behavior of absent mindedly doing things without thinking first. She would make sure something like that would never happen again.

“Tch. _Baka_. Should have known by the color of that egg what we were looking for.” He replied snidely.

Kuroe glared at Subaru. “If you’re implying that I don’t know what an Ashwinder’s egg looks like, then you’ve been hit in the head too many times with a Bludger.”

She stomped off, purposely hitting him in the arm as she passed by. Subaru smirked and rolled his eyes, turning towards Shin who was leaning against a nearby tree.

“I say let her find it. The creature is considered a serpent, so it’s obvious that a Snake should do the job.” He added lazily, stretching his arms.

Kuroe flipped and stormed up to him, grabbing him by the front of his robes.

“If you have a problem with me, then say it to my face. Otherwise, shut it with your stupid comments.” She threatened.

Shin smiled evilly, taking her hand into his and spinning her until her back pressed into his chest. He whispered into her ear, making her tremble from the physical contact.

“Or _what?_ ” He licked the outer shell of her ear, making her grimace in disgust. Everything about him made her skin crawl, and she elbowed him in the stomach to get away. Shin keeled over, grunting in pain. His face was enraged and he set off after her to settle the score, until he was picked up by a towering figure.

“Er else what yeh ask? I was hopin’ ter find tha’ fer ya’ got ‘ere, but seems as if ya’ found it yerselves. Nice job Kuroe!”

Kuroe beamed when she saw Hagrid emerge from the forest. He put Shin down on the ground, who tore himself away from his grip. Hagrid stood and looked at the damage done to part of the forest caused by the egg.

“Well, tha’ abou’ clears up wha’ them eggs do ter yeh.” He clapped his hands together, “Question time! Wha’ are Ashwinder eggs used fer?”

Kuroe raised her arm diligently. Hagrid nodded at her to answer.

“Ashwinder eggs are the primary ingredient used to make love potions.”

“Righ’ yeh are Kuroe! But the real prize be from catchin’ the ones who laid ‘em.”

Hagrid lifted up a giant jar to reveal a long, pale grey creature with glowing red eyes. It was thrashing about, trying to get out of its confinement, leaving a dusty trail of ash in its place.

“Now, who can say wha’ kind o’ place…”

Kuroe stopped listening to Hagrid’s lecture, her gaze glued onto the creature striking inside the jar. She didn’t know if she was the only one who was paying attention, but was in shock at hearing the noises that was coming from it. She gasped when someone hit her in the shoulder.

“The hell is your goddamn problem, Snake?” Shin grinned at her, “You on edge about something?”

Kuroe widened her eyes, mortified that he didn’t realize it either. “Don’t you hear that? Can’t you hear what it’s saying??”

Shin looked at her as if she were insane. “Saying? That thing can’t say anything.”

Kuroe gripped his arm firmly, her eyes begging for him to listen to her.

“I’m telling you, that Ashwinder is talking! You can’t hear the words?!”

Shin narrowed his eyes, and turned to listen to the creature instead of Hagrid. He snorted when he realized what she was talking about.

“It’s just hissing around in there, although those things _can_ speak Parseltongue. It is a snake after all.”

Kuroe pursed her lips and turned away, trying to take in everything he was saying, until Shin started laughing.

“Did you actually believe you were able to understand it? Only Parselmouths can speak with snakes, stupid. Unless you thought you could become one? HA! How original, a snake wanting to communicate with its own kind.”

Kuroe clenched her fists, her body shaking in anger.

“I need you to do something for me.” She replied harshly.

Shin felt an unexpected jolt go through his chest and he gripped the front of his robes. He soon realized that this was the effect of the Unbreakable Vow, and knew she was using the spell to her advantage.

“This is an order. Meet me by the Black Lake after class. I need you to do something for me.”

Shin bared his teeth at her and growled. “You’re going to regret that once this is over.”

Kuroe choked back her tears and grabbed her things. She took off running once Hagrid finished explaining his homework assignment, leaving Shin and the class behind. She just couldn’t understand. Why didn’t anyone else hear what that Ashwinder was saying in the jar? Did no one else understand the grave message it directed at her? Kuroe kept running as fast as she could, trying to clear those foreboding words out of her head.

_**Nothing good will come from that vile girl. Stay with her, and you will see your demise. It is only a matter of time before she destroys you all!** _


	16. Order by the Black Lake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written for me by madamemalfoy21 because I was too much of a wimp to write out the idea I had, so she wrote it for me because she's just awesome like that. <3

He didn’t want to do it. But to bitch out of following her direct order would be an even worse thing to do. He had no choice since he didn’t want to die, but he ended up stuck with _her_ of all people. Not to mention they were out by the Black Lake of all places. He watched her stroll up to him, her face sunken and defeated. She looked pretty miserable and Shin smirked, grateful that he may finally be able to enjoy this exchange for once.

“Alright you fucking snake. What is it you want?”

Kuroe grimaced, realizing she had forgotten what it was she had called him out here for. She frantically wracked her brain to come up with a reason to make him useful, when an idea clicked in her head. Shin was already in a pissy mood, and she didn’t want to instigate that any further, so she decided to use his talents to her advantage.

“I want you to help me become an Animagus.”

He hadn’t been counting on that. In fact, he would have laughed, like he usually does, but her eyes were completely serious. It kind of pissed him off. So he was going to tell her no, and to pick something else, because a stupid snake like her wouldn’t be able to master that sort of thing anyway. But then he realized he could probably have some fun with this. He cleared his throat, trying to mimic her serious expression.

“Animagus huh? You ready for that kinda shit?”

She gave a firm nod in response.

He rubbed his chin, like he’d seen that boring professor do when he was considering certain facts.

“Well, first things first, you gotta take off all those clothes.”

Her eyes widened at first, but then narrowed, her brow knitting in frustration, her fists clenching and unclenching. “Forget it. I thought you’d actually take this seriously.”

“Heh?? The hell do you take me for!” He shouted, just as she was turning around, “Don’t you know the first thing about magic? Wizards can’t be wearing fucking clothes when they transform!”

She stopped, turning around hesitantly, trying to read his expression.

“How else do you think you’re supposed to become one with an animal if you retain your human identity?!” He shouted right at her, hoping he hadn’t oversold it.

“Oh, right.” she said simply, nodding again, “That makes sense.”

Heh. Perfect.

“Well, can you please turn around or something,” she said in a rather dignified way.

“Nope. You want my help don’t you? I gotta make sure you do everything correctly. Besides, it’s not any different from when I saw you with half your clothes off in the locker room.”

Kuroe winced and stared at him for a long while, biting the inside of her cheeks, realizing he was right. If she couldn’t do at least this then there was no point to it, was there? He’d done it countless times as well so there was nothing to be embarrassed about. Without bothering to give him any sort of verbal response, she began to undo the buttons of her blouse.

Shin almost couldn’t believe it, and he had to hold back his laughter. Just how dense was this girl? Soon enough she was in nothing but her bra and underwear, and even though she was a dirty snake, she wasn’t half bad to look at.

“Ok.” she said.

“Ok?” He spat, “The fuck you think you’ll look like? A goddamn animal in underwear. Is this some sort of joke to you? Are you trying to disgrace the creature you’re wanting to become?”

Her cheeks reddened as his words stung her pride. She tried to swallow the growing lump that was forming in her throat, trying to keep her legs from starting to shake. Like hell she was going to be insecure in front of _this_ guy. Besides, she needed this. If this is what it took then so be it. So with new resolve she turned around, sliding the straps off her shoulders and then unhooking the back, letting it fall unceremoniously to the ground. Next she stepped out of her underwear, rather quickly, wanting to get it all over with.

Shin couldn’t help but lick his lips as her bare ass came into view. He had to remind himself she was nothing but a snake.

She didn’t know if she should use her hair to cover her breasts or her backside. Thinking quickly, she brought her hair up to the front, covering her breasts, and then turned around with her hands covering her more intimate parts. She hadn’t counted on him being so close to her, so she was thrown off a bit, but quickly regained her composure.

“Ok now what?” She said rather quickly, wanting to get it all over with.

“Touch yourself.”

Her face deadpanned, and her previously shaking legs ceased moving. “No…” she muttered to herself, shaking her head, before looking directly at him, “No! What the hell is wrong with you!”

Shin, however, managed to remain perfectly calm. “Hmm? You won’t do it? Then wasn’t this all a waste?” He brought his fingers up to his chin once more, “Oh right. You’re that type of person. Everything needs a fucking explanation.”

She glared at him, but he only rolled his eyes.

“If you don’t release your pent up energy, how the fuck do you think you’ll have a clear enough mind to concentrate? You’re becoming another _being_. Fastest way to do it is to orgasm. Unless you wanna run fifty laps around this goddamn lake.”

She shifted awkwardly, finding no fault in his logic. But to do something like that in front of someone…in front of him for godsakes. She inwardly growled. This pervert probably used changing into an Animagus as an excuse to get off. With another deep inhale, she found her bravery, and began flicking her fingers around, shutting her eyes.

Merlin’s beard, she couldn’t do this. Her face was probably cherry red. This was ridiculous. How was she supposed to get off when she just knew he was looking at her?

“You’re doing it wrong.” His voice was deep, hushed, right by her ear. She squealed reflexively, jumping forward slightly to create some distance.

“S-Shut up! What would you know?”

He snorted, “I know you look like you’re in pain,” at this he finally did laugh, “It’s never gonna work like that.”

Her eyes shot open as she felt him envelop her, her back up against his chest. “Stop!”

His hands wrapped around hers, “Like this,” the husky voice sent shivers down her spine, and she had never wanted to _not_ be naked so bad in her life.

His hand began to move hers, guiding her fingers over her clit, his hold surprisingly gentle. She couldn’t help but gasp, though she did her best to bite it back. 

“Let your voice out,” he told her, “It’s supposed to feel good.” 

She wanted to fight back, to make some sort of smart remark, but her mind was starting to feel muddled. So far he had proved to be genuine, and the fact that he was so composed doing something like _this_ made her want to smack him. Her body was starting to grow hot, and not just out of embarrassment.

“Put a finger in,” he said, guiding her hand, for a brief moment, his flesh brushed over hers, and a small hiccup parted her lips. She did as she was told, eager to put an end to her aching. She fidgeted, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. And really, who wouldn’t be? She was standing up for one, which was uncomfortable in it’s own right, but to have some guy telling her how to freaking pleasure herself…as though she didn’t know her own body–

“Ah!”

He’d pressed down on her palm, making the flat surface rub against her clit while pointer finger was still massaging her walls. Her bottom lip trembled as she bit into it, trying to contain any further stray sounds from escaping. “Come on,” he said, “Add a second finger. It’ll feel better.”

Like she needed _him_ to tell her that. But she obeyed anyway, falling dependent to his orders. Her heart raced and a shiver rolled over her body like a wave, her fingers curling over the spot she knew would send her over. The added heat of his hands only seemed to intensify her senses, making her go into a strange desperation. “Shin I’m-”

“Not yet.” He barked.

At his words her fingers stopped, her eyes watering from the cruelty of being denied. She didn’t understand why she was listening to him in the first place, it’s not like his hold on her was that strong to begin with, but for whatever reason she was hanging onto his every word. 

“It’s still building, isn’t it?” He breathed huskily, guiding her fingers in and out at a slow and steady pace. All she could manage was a garbled ‘yes’ and an incoherent nod of her head. For a brief moment, and only a brief moment, she wished it were his fingers instead. “You can hold out a bit more, can’t you Snake?”

She whimpered, desperate for her release, her legs threatening to give out from under her. “N-Not much m-more…” her head hung forward, her body trying to curl up to allow her fingers better access, but her current position was making it rather difficult. “Shin,” she pleaded, real tears gathering in her eyes now, “No more, I can’t-”

“Cum.”

Her fingers curled at his command, and with a sharp cry she was freed of her torture, her body shivering from exposure and yet coated in sweat. Shin trailed his fingers over her abdomen, enjoying the feeling of her bare skin reacting so willingly to his touch. Once her breathing returned to normal, Shin released his hold on her, letting her collapse suddenly on the ground. She yelped, not expecting him to just walk off without saying another word.

“Wait!!” She called out, “What’s next? What do I have to do?”

Shin turned around and grinned darkly. “Nothing’s next. Did you really think I would actually teach you how to be an Animagus? A filthy snake like yourself? You don’t deserve to learn that type of sorcery. Besides…”

He leaned down next to her and wrapped his fingers around her neck to make her look up at him.

“I just wanted to see how easy it would be to have you follow my orders.” He sneered, “and it seems I was right. You’re nothing but a slut who will do anything for the sake of learning some magic spells.”

He turned around, cackling, as he walked off towards the castle, leaving a crumpled Kuroe behind. She buried her face in the grass, clenching the blades in between her fingers, and cried.

Today didn’t turn out well after all.


	17. Falling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by madamemalfoy21

“Kuroe! KuroeKuroeKuroeeeeeeeee!”

“Lord what!”

Akari was panting, cheeks red from running, the biggest smile plastered on her face. “He asked me!”

“Who asked you what?”

Akari held out her arm as proof. “Look! In his own really weird way,” she made a face, “But it was so cute! Oh my god I could just DIE!”

Kuroe’s eyes widened in panic, “But you’re not going to die are you?”

Akari smacked her friend’s arm, “It’s an expression!”

Kuroe’s face darkened. “Not for all of us.”

Akari’s eyes widened in turn. “Oh shit. Sorry. Don’t worry! I mean if Shin fucks up then he’ll die too. And his ego’s too big for that.”

“Right.”

The Ravenclaw bit her lip, poking her friend’s cheek. “Are you ok?”

“Huh? Fine. You know I don’t like when you touch my face.” She waved her friend away, trying to keep her legs from shaking while she walked.

“Kuroe, what’s wrong?”

The Slytherin swallowed. “Nothing. I’m happy for you.”

Akari tilted her head, making a face, before smacking her friend’s cheeks with both hands, “Don’t get all mopey on me now, Katsuragi. You’ll get a boyfriend too.”

Kuroe’s eyes widened, before she snorted, removing her friend’s hands for a second time. “I’m not interested in becoming anyone’s property.”

Akari pouted, “It’s cute! It’s like he’s saying he’ll take care of me!”

“Listen, you don’t know him the way I do. Reiji-san doesn’t–”

“Lalalalala not interested. Trust me on this one, Kuroe. I can feel it.”

“That’s not–”

“You’ll find someone. And they’ll sweep you off your feet–”

“I’m–”

“And you two will–”

“Akari!”

Her smile dropped, and Akari looked over at Kuroe, who was shifting awkwardly. “What is it?”

Kuroe narrowed her eyes, trying to choose her words carefully. “If someone were to…do certain… _things_ with someone. What does that mean?”

Akari smirked, “Hmm? Oh Kuroe~ Don’t tell me you were out kissing Shin this whole time–”

“Of course not!” She said it with such a bite that even Akari jumped back. “Just forget it.”

“Wait, Kuroe–”

But that girl walked too fast for her own good. Akari felt weird. Like she’d probably missed something important. But she wasn’t good at pinpointing those sorts of things. And as blunt as Kuroe was, she wasn’t the type to talk about whatever it was that was bothering her.

“Christ you’re so fast.”

“Go to class, Akari.”

“Hey,” she grabbed her arm, “You’ll tell me what it is after, right?”

Kuroe didn’t look at her, shrugging her off. “Maybe.”

Akari smiled, because that was most definitely a ‘yes.’ “I’ll make sure to save you some pudding at dinner!” She cheered to Kuroe, who was by now, disappearing into a classroom.

And Akari was about to make her way to her own class, but she caught sight of Yuma. And she just _had_ to share this very important piece of news.

She ran straight for him, giving herself just enough room to jump so she’d land solidly on his back. “Guess what!”

“Jesus fuck giving me a heart attack!”

“I got a boyfriend!”

“You’re shitting me.”

“Guess who?”

“That nerd who’s always stuck to you in Divination?”

“Ew god. No. Reiji you idiot.”

“Sakamaki?”

Shu glanced over at them, “You can’t be serious.”

“He asked me earlier today!” Akari grinned widely, clinging to Yuma’s neck so she wouldn’t fall.

Yuma and Shu exchanged a glance, while Akari growled at them. “Well hello! Congratulate me!”

“I wouldn’t recommend it.” Shu said flatly.

Yuma craned his neck back, “I’m not too sure either, ‘Kari. Guy’s kind of a weirdo.”

As they turned the corner, they were met with a very sharp, and a very poison filled “Mr. Mukami.”

Shu groaned, passing by the both of them and slipping into one of the classrooms.

Reiji paid no mind to him, his sole focus on Akari who was tangled up against Yuma. “Just what, may I ask, are you doing?”

“Hi Reiji-san! We were just talking about you!”

Yuma stood up a bit taller, holding onto Akari’s legs. “Headin’ to class, same as you.”

“What class do you have next? You could walk with us!” Akari chirped.

“It would be in your best interest to put her down, Mr. Mukami.”

“Heh. Or what. You gonna fight me, Sakamaki?”

Reiji simply smiled, pulling out his wand, “If need be.”

Akari slipped out from Yuma’s hold, taking her place in front of him and putting Reiji’s wand down with two fingers. “Yeesh no need for that. You’re not jealous, are you Reiji-san?”

“Oy, Akari, maybe you should–”

“Jealousy would suggest that he has something I want, Miss Motegi. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

Akari tugged at Reiji’s sleeve, trying to get him to follow her, “Come on, let’s just-”

Reiji slipped out of her hold rather easily, “You will refrain from touching me Miss Motegi.”

She rolled her eyes, reaching for his arm again, “You’re getting all worked up over nothi–”

He grabbed her by the collar, dragging her into the broom closet and enchanting it closed, much to Yuma’s protests.

“Ow, hey!”

“Listen very closely, Miss Motegi, because I refuse to repeat myself. You will no longer come into contact with that repulsive half-blood, or that dead weight. As my property you will do as I say. Do you understand?”

“They’re my friends though Reiji. I mean I get that–”

“Miss Motegi.”

There was a strong pounding on the door, making Akari jump. Yuma was pissed, apparently. Which made sense. “Oy shut up I’m fine!” she yelled out, trying to get him to stop. Reiji sighed. “He cannot hear you. I’ve enchanted it.”

Akari snorted. “So if you murdered me no one would know?”

“Indeed.”

He said that sort of seriously. Which made her a little nervous. But not that nervous. Plus, the whole thing was kinda funny. Especially since Reiji was being a grumpy grump again.

“Ok.” she said simply.

“I beg your pardon?”

She shrugged, “I get it. I won’t let Yuma give me any more piggyback rides if it bothers you that much.”

“That is not what–”

“But he’s still my friend, so I’m still gonna hang out with him, ok? It’s normal to be jealous but you don’t have to worry, cuz I’m already yours, Reiji-san.” She smiled up at him, as though proving her point.

“Miss Motegi, you are not–”

“Hey,” she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in so that their lips brushed together, “We never got a real kiss.”

He pushed her away, her back slamming against the wall, Reiji straightening his robes. “As I mentioned before, Miss Motegi,” he adjusted his glasses, spitting her name like venom, “We are not sweethearts.” Without another word he opened the door, pushing past Yuma and leaving Akari behind.

Akari watched him go, her lips twitching into a smile. She hardly noticed Yuma coming up to her and grabbing her by the shoulders.

“Oy! The shit was that?? I’ll fucking kill him–”

She shook her head, dazedly waving him off, saying she was fine. “Hey…Yuma…”

“What?” he growled.

“I think I’m in love.”


	18. Sweet as Sugar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by madamemalfoy21

Ok, so maybe being with Reiji-san wasn’t the easiest thing in the world. She wasn’t allowed to call him her boyfriend, he avoided her while in class, and so far, he hadn’t kissed her. His lessons had continued even though they didn’t have detention anymore. Something about making her a ‘proper lady.’ Whatever that meant. But if it made him happy then she was all for it. Besides, they got to spend a lot of time together that way. So for the most part it was fine.

That is, if you discounted the whipping.

“Nothing you say makes any sense!”

He raised a single eyebrow. “I beg your pardon, Miss Motegi. I don’t believe I gave you permission to speak.”

“That’s not the point! I get that the whip is for punishments or whatever but jesus fuck how is it a reward? You’re contradicting yourself! Not to mention sending mixed messages–”

“There is a fine line between pleasure and pain, Miss Motegi. Surely you’re aware of this? I would have thought that with your Ravenclaw wit you’d be able to distinguish the two.”

“I _can_ distinguish the two. That’s why it doesn’t–”

“My, my. Talkative as ever, I see. I know for a fact I have not failed in my execution. This can only be your failure at recognition. Shall I show you again? Pay close attention, Miss Motegi. I think you’ll find there is no limit as to how much of an aphrodisiac pain can be.”

Her eyes grew wide, and though her first instinct was to run, she stood bolted in place. Because if he was saying all of that, then, did that mean…

Was he finally going to touch her?

“R-Reiji-san–”

He clicked his tongue in disapproval, letting out a disgruntled ‘tch,’ his crop meeting the palm of his hand in a sharp _crack_.

“Speak clearly, Miss Motegi.”

“Reiji-sama.” She repeated.

“Very good.” He praised, “Perhaps your memory is not so horrid.”

She swallowed nervously, as the Slytherin circled her like a shark. “Chin up.”

She flinched slightly when the edge up the crop kissed her lower jaw, but she did as she was told, holding her head high.

“Fold your hands behind your back.”

She chewed the inside of her lips as she did so. By now he’d begun to drag the crop over her chest. “You seem nervous, Miss Motegi.”

“Not at all.” She replied almost instantly.

He let out a deep chuckle. One she was glad to hear, if only for the richness of the sound. But it was something that also managed to frighten her to the core.

“Such bravery is admirable.”

“I’m no Gryffindor.” She bit back.

The Slytherin smirked. “Indeed.”

He circled around a few more times, examining her posture and who knows what else.

“Do tell me, Miss Motegi,” he said, sounding bored, removing his robes with a single hand, “Who do you belong to?”

That, at least, was an easy one.

“To Reiji-sama, of course.”

He hummed, and amused smile on his face. But she knew she should be wary, of a smile like that. “Well done, Miss Motegi. Now, as a reward,” He struck right between her thighs, the movement short and quick. Akari clenched her features, eyes wincing.

“That hurt.” She squeaked.

He clicked his tongue. “Not at all, Miss Motegi. You are simply failing to recognize the pleasure within the pain.”

“Look, you can be into kinky stuff all you want, but you can’t force someone to–”

In a swift movement he lunged at her, his palm securely wrapped around the base of her throat. All she managed was a sharp inhale.

“Does it hurt, Miss Motegi?”

Her heart was pounding too fast. She said nothing.

He chuckled again in that deep way. “Your pulse has quickened. Is it out of fear, or arousal?”

Again she said nothing, scanning his face desperately. He tightened his grip, “Answer me!”

“Both!” She yelped on instinct, closing her eyes in confused shame. Both?

He let go, and she staggered back, her own hands trying to sooth her neck. Had he held on hard enough to bruise her? Well, thank fuck for concealer–

“Stand up straight, Miss Motegi.”

She looked at him, before adjusting her posture. He circled her again, adjusting his glasses and dragging the crop over her body. “You will soon learn, Miss Motegi,” he said, the edge of the leather brushing her inner thighs, “That this pain is sweet only because it is delivered from my hand.”

“I think it’d hurt either way, Reiji.”

He glared at her. She froze. “Reiji-san,” she shook her head, “Sama.”

Without warning she was struck, sharp and hard and fast across her back. It felt as though he’d beaten her with a stick. She cried out, the blunt pain causing tears to gather around her eyes. _Fuck, that hurt._

“Tell me, was there a difference?”

“Wh-What?”

“I am not a fan of repeating myself, Miss Motegi. Truly I didn’t think you so dense.”

She swallowed, thinking for a bit. His ‘reward’ definitely hadn’t hurt as much as the ‘punishment.’ Is that all there was to it? Punishments hurt worse than rewards?

“Yes,” she said, “There’s a difference.”

The edge of the crop caught the fold of her skirt, lifting it up. Her face went red, thinking she should have worn much cuter underwear. _Wait, what the fuck?_

“Don’t do that!” She protested, jumping away and fixing her skirt, “Aren’t you supposed to be all proper and–”

“My, my. And I was going to reward you as well. You’re trying my patience, Miss Motegi. As my property there is no part of you that will remain secret from me.”

“That’s a whole lot of talk for–”

“Everything I give you will be with purpose. You will accept it graciously.”

“W-Wait, Reiji–”

To her surprise, he stopped, waiting for her to finish her sentence. She swallowed. “Um,” she teetered nervously on her heels, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, “Haven’t you ever heard the phrase ‘you’ll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar’?”

His lips curled into a smile and her entire being filled with dread. She’d done it now.

“How very amusing, Miss Motegi.” He praised, hands behind his back, “However, you fail to recognize that vinegar, much like pain, can be ever so sweet,” his breath was right on her ear, making goosebumps appear in weak protest, her heart positively pounding out of her chest. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

She all but yelped as he bit down, sucking on the edge of her neck with what she wanted to believe was hidden passion. One hand circled her waist, his large palm that held the crop on her stomach, pressing her tightly against his chest, the other holding her hair back.

Reiji definitely had a thing for biting. And it hurt but…it didn’t? And she could feel her face going red at the thought that she wanted him to bite her more.

“How lewd,” he breathed, licking the bite mark, “For a girl like you to heat up under such a simple touch.”

Her pulse quickened, and she swallowed. “R-Reiji-sama?” Her ears were bright red, “Do you think…we could kiss…now?”

He pulled away upon her request, and she could feel herself growing hollow. “You’ve done nothing deserving of my affection.”

She shifted, twirling her fingers around themselves. Shit, what was this guy doing to her? “Then…did I do something deserving a reward?”

Ok, so maybe she was a little kinkier than she’d originally thought. Nothing wrong with that, right? But the smirk Reiji gave her already had her dripping.

“Simply asking for it will suffice for today, Miss Motegi. Shall I grant you a small courtesy?” He was close, far too close, “Where would you like to be rewarded?”

Her breath hitched, and she thought fast. “It didn’t feel so bad…on my thighs…”

The sharp sting that met the back of her legs was immediate, making her body jolt.

“Who would have thought that these deplorably short skirts of yours would come to an advantage, Miss Motegi,” He chuckled, “How basely vulgar of you.”

She didn’t know what to say. Didn’t have anything to say, for once. Because it _did_ sting. But…

Reiji chuckled again, snapping her from her thoughts, “What a curious thing, when the fly willingly flocks to the vinegar…”


	19. Happy Birthday, Reiji-san! Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter written by madamemalfoy21

She’d been rather suspicious the entirety of the first week, but he was lenient enough to let it go. Though it was quite curious, the amount of time she was spending with Kou Mukami. And he later learned that she’d even skipped lessons to meet with Kanato. By the second week, he was not so merciful.

He’d even gone ahead and pulled from his personal collection of potions, should he be forced to turn to drastic measures. Because, as they stood, she would block any attempt at legilimency. But she was Akari, after all, and so he did not think he’d have to rely on something as extreme as veritaserum.

He pried, that day, asking all the correct questions, and yet she evaded him each time. Giggling or waving him away, sometimes disappearing _again_ with that blasted Mukami, whispering what he assumed was some sort of girlish ‘secret.’

And he’d had enough.

Behind the doors of the RoR, Reiji cornered her, giving her one final chance to tell him just what she’d been doing all this time.

“I can’t tell you.”

“No, Miss Motegi. You can, in fact, tell me. You are simply choosing not to.”

She bit her lip, trying– and failing– to hide her smile. “Got me there I guess.”

“Then. I shall offer you one more chance.”

“Reiji-san, I’m not going to tell you. So let’s just forget it,” she waved her hand, “What do ya wanna do today? I think I’ve got my kissing down, wanna see?”

With calm patience, he pulled the vial out of his robes, holding it so that she could see. “Do you know what this is, Miss Motegi?”

She looked from the vial to him, and then shook her head.

“Veritaserum.”

Her eyes widened before they shrunk in fear, Akari immediately standing up and shaking her head, her hands out in front of her to protest, “No, no, Reiji-san you don’t understand!”

“Enough.”

“No it’s because I really can’t tell you, if I do then–”

“Then what, Miss Motegi?”

She bit her lip, looking from him to the potion desperately, her eyes searching for an escape. “I just…I _can’t_ …please don’t make me drink it.”

“Open your mouth.”

She shook her head, dodging him, but she wasn’t fast enough. “No, Reiji please!”

But it was too late. Whatever it was she was so desperate to keep hidden would no longer be so. He thought the threat of the potion would be enough to have her speak, but she was frustratingly stubborn. And that made him think that perhaps this was more compromising than he had originally deduced.

“What is your name?”

“Akari Motegi.” Her voice hoarse, her expression panicked.

“Have you been keeping something from Reiji Sakamaki?”

She shut her eyes, fighting the drug, her teeth digging into her lip, awkwardly blurting out the word ‘yes.’

“What is it you’ve been keeping from Reiji Sakamaki?”

Tears began to well in her eyes, her small frame shaking, every ounce of her fighting.

_What was she fighting so hard for?_

He clenched his teeth, yelling out when he repeated his question. She burst, a pained scream ripping her throat before her words tumbled out in a blubbered mess.

“It’s for your birthday! I wanted to surprise you by doing a picnic up on the astronomy tower since that’s how we met and we both like stars! And I figured it’d be nice since the view’s really nice up there and everything! And I was going to make all your favorite foods but–” she was interrupted by a sob, before the potion forced her to continue, “I wasn’t really sure what those were so I had to ask Kou because Kuroe isn’t around you that much but Kou is and Shu doesn’t know anything so I didn’t know…and I had to be really nice to Kanato because he said he knew what kind of cake you liked and I really needed to know because you can’t have a birthday without cake and I know I probably should have known all this anyway but I’m so sorry I didn’t I just–” again, a sob, “I’m so sorry Reiji-san I ruined everything and I know this was probably another test and I failed but the veritaserum is really strong and I just couldn’t and I’m so so sorry!!”

She sat in the chair: trembling, sobbing, broken.

It was pleasing; and yet he was not pleased. Seeing her in such a state was not as satisfactory as he had assumed it would be. Reiji could do nothing but blink, swallowing stiffly. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d celebrated something as mundane as his own birthday.

“Stop crying.” He ordered.

“I’m sorry,” she shook, hugging her arms around herself, “I messed up your surprise.” She murmured between sniffles and sobs.

“I am not fond of surprises.” He replied calmly.

She looked up at him with wet eyes, more tears gathering, “Then you would’ve hated it either way…I’m such a shitty girlfriend I didn’t even know if you prefer chocolate or vanilla…” her voice trailed off timidly.

“Come here.” He barked.

She jumped at his words, but complied nonetheless, taking her place in his lap when he patted his knee.

“Truly I did not think you so foolish. Once again you force me to repeat myself. We are not an item.”

She sniffled, “Yeah. Sorry.”

“You are my property, are you not?”

She nodded solemnly, looking down at her feet.

“Then as my property you have no responsibility towards me. Rather, it is you who I’ve so graciously taken under my care. You will not degrade yourself in my presence. Do you understand Miss Motegi? Cease your tears.”

She looked up at him with big eyes, still moist but with the tears no longer falling. After all this time, she’d gotten pretty good at reading between the lines. And this was, in his way, him comforting her. At least she hoped. But it really, really sounded like it.

And so she smiled. Because he cared enough to…well, care.

“What is it?” he said with narrowed eyes, finding the smile suspicious.

Oh, she knew better than to tell him. Because then he’d deny it and that would ruin this almost-moment that was kind of happening here.

Her smile grew slightly, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled her head against his shoulder, which he was allowing, for now. “I’ll make sure you still have a good birthday, Reiji-san.”

When he put his hand on her back that was when she knew that yes he was being caring. And she wasn’t really sure why, but, it was nice. It was really, really nice. And she almost didn’t believe it when he cleared his throat, watching as the corner of his lips opened to speak.

“I am looking forward to it.”

Inhaling sharply, and gathering all her courage but keeping her eyes closed, she squeezed him softly, “Reiji-san?”

“Mm?”

He seemed a bit lost in thought, the way he was still rubbing her back up and down.

“May I kiss you?”

Though it was a strange angle, she could see the edge of his lip curling into his signature smirk. “Do you crave my lips this much?”

She really wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say, but she hoped she hadn’t ruined things for herself, since resting against his chest had quickly become one of her most favorite things to do. But he seemed to spare her this, pulling away just enough, and tiling her chin up with his knuckles, so that he could caress her lips with his own.

And it was…nice.


	20. Happy Birthday, Reiji-san! Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter written by madamemalfoy21

“Um, well, I know it’s not much of a surprise but…surprise!” she made small jazz hands, the last word teetering on her tongue.

It was just as she had said, with a blanket and a basket and anything else one might need for a picnic.

“You are aware,” he said, adjusting his glasses, “That is it after curfew?”

She returned his question with a shy sort of smile. “I thought it’d be ok…just once?”

He sighed with reluctance, muttering out a ‘very well.’

Her face lit up, smiling widely at him and motioning for him to sit down next to her. “Ok! We can have whatever you want! There’s pumpkin juice and butterbeer and I made some cheesecake. I know dessert is last but it’s your birthday so we can have the cake first!”

“Dinner is customary, Miss Motegi.”

She nodded, still smiling, “Right, ok! I made some pasta. Well I mean, I had a bit of help but for the most part it was all me!” A small blush appeared on her cheeks, “You don’t have to eat it if you don’t like it.”

Reiji took a small sample, elegantly collecting it on his fork before putting it in his mouth. Akari chewed her lip, waiting for his judgement.

“While I would not suggest you pursue a culinary career, Miss Motegi, this will suffice for now.”

She sighed in relief. “Oh good! I used to cook all the time! It’s because I used to be super picky when I was younger– well not really picky, just sorta stubborn I guess– but basically I’d always want something different than what my family was having for dinner and my mom said that was fine so long as I made it myself. I mean of course the house elves–”

“Miss Motegi.”

“Yeah?”

“Your food.”

She nodded, serving herself a plate, enjoying his company though they did not speak. But it wasn’t very long before she could no longer contain herself, and she began talking once more.

Reiji ate his birthday meal mostly in silence, behind the backdrop of Akari’s voice which he had long ago learned to tune out. While he would have preferred silence, even he had to admit that this was not entirely unpleasant.

“Oh but don’t worry!”

“I beg your pardon?” he asked, before taking a sip of his pumpkin juice.

“You still have presents! I mean this was part of it kinda but–” she dug around in her bag, pulling out a small box wrapped in silver paper, “I did get you a gift. Well, two. I mean. One I know you probably won’t like so…” She stuck it out under his nose, offering it to him, “This one you _will_ like!”

Reiji took it from her hands, carefully pulling the paper apart. Inside rested a Slytherin tie.

“It’s practical!” Akari chirped, “You know since you’re in Slytherin…and like the other ones fade in the wash and stuff…”

“Thank you, Miss Motegi.”

Again she let out a small relieved sound, “You’re welcome! Um…” Her face had gone entirely red now, as she reached into her bag again, “Well…see, I know you won’t like this one. And that’s ok! I just figured…um well here.”

He was presented with a box that was wrapped with equal care. He undid the wrapping, and slowly removed the top.

“Sh–” She stopped herself, realizing she probably shouldn’t mention Shu at a time like this, “Ayato told me you collect teacups back home? I really don’t know much about it. And this one isn’t fancy or anything, but I did enchant it, if you want to see? You just have to hold it…it’ll only work if you do it…”

Reiji looked at the plain white cup that had no design save for a golden trim around the top. He took it out of the box and held it in his hand, waiting for something to happen. Sure enough, images began to appear.

Akari perked up, “Ah, see! The fox is me right there, cuz that’s my patronus and all, and she’s bowing to the hippogriff. And that’s you cuz you know, like, a hippogriff won’t look at you unless it respects you back and stuff and I don’t know…I just think it really suits you.”

Reiji raised his brow, wondering just how this girl could be so sharply acute and numbingly dense at the same time. For a moment he considered informing her that his patronus was indeed a hippogriff, but then decided against it. 

“Um, it’s not much,” Akari continued, “And if you think it’s ugly or whatever you don’t have to keep it. But if you let it go then it goes back to the way it was before. The stuff only pops up if you hold it so…”

“How very much like you,” he mused, “To get me something like this.”

“You can just throw it away.” She blurted.

“I do not hate it, Miss Motegi. If anything, you seem to have learned your place, with this.”

She couldn’t help it; she smiled. She sure was smiling a lot today. And though it wasn’t quite praise that he’d given her, she’d take it anyway. The heat that dusted her cheeks was unmistakable, as she smiled once more. “Happy Birthday, Reiji-san.”

“Thank you, Miss Motegi.”


	21. Duel Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter written by madamemalfoy21

“Wait, what do you mean he _touched_ you?”

“It wasn’t that he touched me, exactly,” Kuroe explained, “He said it was the only way to transform into an anima–”

“Jeez you and that animagus shit! Why didn’t you ask me??”

Kuroe’s eyes widened in surprise. “You can do it?”

“Who do you think I am?” Akari stood up, her chair screeching behind her, her hands slamming down on the table, “But that’s beside the point! What did he do to you?”

Kuroe glanced away, picking up her wand from the table, “It was nothing. I can handle it. Shall we start today? It’s what the duel club is for after all–”

Akari snatched away Kuroe’s wand, holding it threateningly at her face. “Kuroe,” her eyes were hard, “This isn’t a joke.”

Kuroe blinked. “No one said it was. Akari, my wand–”

“Kuroe,” Akari’s voice was soft, walking around the table to drape her arms over her friend. “If it’s that bad, then can I see?”

The Slytherin stiffened, closing her eyes and letting out a short exhale. With a brief nod, she gave the Ravenclaw permission to do so.

Akari slipped into Kuroe’s memory, skimming past the events that occurred at the black lake. The Ravenclaw pulled back, gasping, void of speech. Kuroe glared at her, sharp red eyes piercing through Akari’s. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“I’m not!” Akari justified, “I just…I can’t tell if…”

Kuroe raised her brow, shooting Akari a curious look, “What is it?”

Akari laughed nervously, waving her hand as though to brush the topic away, “Ah, well, it’s not a big deal right?”

“Akari…”

She bit her lip, “I just…can’t tell…from that at least,” she inhaled, “Did you like it?”

Kuroe stood up with a gasp, her eyes flaming red, “What sort of accusation is that?”

“It’s not an accusation! It was a question!”

“How could anyone– he’s vile! A monster. He’s cruel and he takes any opportunity to mortify me for his own base amusement. He’s–”

“But you came, though.” Akari said quietly.

Kuroe’s mouth dropped in horror. “A-Anyone would! The human body…humans are notoriously weak to pleasure you know!”

Akari held her hands up in defense, shrugging, “Look I don’t blame you. It must be sort of exciting, with the whole death thing and all. Like star crossed lovers–”

“We’re not star crossed lovers!” Kuroe screeched.

“Alright, alright, I get it. Punch him in the face next time.”

“He’ll get a lot worse than that.” Kuroe insisted, her hand already balled up in a fist. “More importantly,” she said, looking up at her friend, the fire in her eyes melting into hopeful wonder, “Can you truly transform into an animagus?”

Akari smiled widely. “Of course.”

Kuroe lit up, beaming at the Ravenclaw. “What’s yours?”

Akari continued to grin, closing her eyes briefly. From the top of her head emerged pointed ears, a fluffy brown tail poofing out from the bottom of her skirt.

Kuroe gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth.

“Cute, right?!” Akari beamed.

Kuroe stared in awe, hesitantly reaching up to pinch Akari’s newfound ears. “They’re real.” She blinked.

Akari frowned, “Of course they are! What do you take me for?”

The door seemed to slam open suddenly, making both girls jump. 

“Bear!”

The Hufflepuff groaned. “For fucks sake ‘Kari put the damn tail away!”

“I like it,” She said, sticking her tongue out.

From over Yuma’s shoulder, Shu yawned, muttering something about how it suited her.

“See?” Akari said, “Two for one. I win!”

Yuma rolled his eyes, dropping the sleeping Hufflepuff on one of the nearby couches. “What’re we doing today?”

“Anything you guys want,” Akari chirped, walking over to the couch, “But first,” she smacked Shu hard against his stomach, “You promised you’d duel me today.”

He hardly seemed fazed, murmuring something about troublesome women and adjusting his headphones.

Akari puffed her cheeks at him, crossing her arms, “No wonder Reiji hates you.”

Shu smirked, scoffing slightly. “That’s not why he hates me.”

Akari waved her hand, “I don’t really care. Reason or not you swore! I wanna practice some charms–”

“Oy Akari,” Yuma stepped in, wand in hand, “I’ll duel you first, give Shu some time to wake up.”

Akari shrugged, rolling her eyes. “Fine. But,” she raised her wand quickly, pointing it at Yuma’s neck, “I won’t go easy on ya.” She said with a smirk.

Yuma returned the smirk with just as much spark in his eyes. “Heh. Wouldn’t dream of it.”


	22. The Purple Curse

Kuroe strolled through the corridors, not paying attention to the sounds of students rushing past her. She was completely focused on the incident that occurred during Hagrid’s last class, and insisted on solving the dilemma that was plaguing her mind.

Her body moved effortlessly, weaving through the crowd, careful not to bump into anyone, and headed directly for the library. She breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed her usual table was unoccupied and walked straight for it, placing her bag in the empty chair beside her. She took out a book, skimming through the text, feigning as if she were actually reading it, as she observed her classmates around her, in particular Madam Pince. She carefully watched the Hogwarts Librarian, pinpointing her movements, making sure that she would be out of sight so Kuroe would have a chance to find what she needed; without Pince’s scornful backlash.

Once she turned to help some students, Kuroe tapped her wand to her forehead, rendering herself invisible with the Disillusionment Charm. She backed up against one of the shelves, her body taking on the exact texture of the area around her, and silently slinked her way to the entrance of the Restricted Section.

“ _Alohomora._ ” She whispered.

The gates opened and she quickly ran inside, shutting the doors as quietly as she could. She froze on the spot when she heard voices right in front of her.

“Ne, Ruki-kun, why are we on this side? There’s an empty table right over here.”

A Hufflepuff girl tried pulling the Ravenclaw away from where he was positioned, directly in front of Kuroe.

“I thought I heard someone go in here. I may have to investigate just to be sure there are no students in here without proper authorization.”

The Hufflepuff girl sighed, tugging at his arm and steering him away from the entrance. “Why don’t you leave your Prefect duty alone and come sit with me? We’re the only two here for our study group, so we can spend some time getting to know each other.” She purred.

Ruki rolled his eyes, sighing in disappointment. “I believe the purpose for our group is to study, not exchanging unnecessary gossip.”

They both left the Restricted Section, the Hufflepuff girl complaining while Ruki searched intently for his missing group members. Kuroe’s breath hitched in her throat, knowing that she was close to having been exposed. Ruki’s keen senses were nothing to be trifled with. She backed away faintly into the darkness of the Restricted Section, softly running her fingers against the many forbidden books that no student was allowed to view. She took one book out with a menacing green spine and opened it up to the cover, wanting to devour the taboo information engraved among the pages.

Unfortunately right as she opened it, it began screaming at her, as if something inside it was trying to get out. She slammed the book shut and thrust it back onto the shelf when she heard giggling right next to her ear. She turned swiftly, her wand at the ready to defend herself, when she saw who had been watching her the entire time.

“Kanato-kun?” She croaked.

Kanato stared at her, his sunken eyes wide in amusement. He tilted his head to the side examining her, squeezing his prized possession in response.

Kuroe rubbed the back of her head nervously, trying to figure a way out of this dire situation.

“It’s a surprise to see you here, Kanato-kun. How did you find–”

“Please don’t speak to me so casually. Even a Squib could see through your terrible attempt at a Disillusionment Charm.”

His harsh words stung, but she was expecting it. She calmed herself down and looked straight at him, regaining her Slytherin poise. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the books he had in his bag and her eyes widened in alarm as she read through the titles. She shifted her gaze back to Kanato, hoping he hadn’t noticed her staring at his collection of illegal material.

Kanato’s face went flat and glared at this pathetic excuse for a witch for even daring to examine the books he had with him.

“I can practically _smell_ the interest radiating off of you over my belongings. It’s disgusting.”

Kuroe flinched at his sharp tone, knowing that she had already started to push his limits. Dealing with Kanato was like a ticking time bomb and she had to act quickly since every second was precious. She tried stretching the ends of her lips out in an attempt to smile to calm the situation, but it turned out terrible. She wasn’t used to smiling and she failed miserably, which caused Kanato to laugh.

Kanato gripped his head and giggled uncontrollably. “Kuroe-san, you look so stupid right now! You’re making the ugliest face and it shows how pathetic and brainless you really are.”

Kuroe winced and bit her cheek. She had enough of Kanato’s insults and decided to out him right there.

“ _Magick Moste Evile, The Nightshade Guide to Necromancy_ …did you get those books from here Kanato-kun? The last time I checked, those titles were banned from Hogwarts.You shouldn’t be carrying them around.”

She stopped when he was suddenly in front of her, flicking a strand of hair out of her face with the tip of his wand.

“I don’t recall asking for an opinion from some stupid girl like you. You would do well to shut up and remain quiet; ne, Teddy?” He glanced at his bear tenderly for a moment before pointing his wand directly under her chin.

“What business is it of yours what I have with me? I would be more concerned about how you’re going to get out of here without losing your life.”

Kuroe’s eyes narrowed and she hit her closed fist against the shelf behind her as the books rattled violently. Her frustration with him was growing, and she would be damned if she let someone like this temperamental Ravenclaw get in her way.

“If you’re going to attack me then do it. Otherwise, I won’t leave until I get what I came here for.” She stood her ground and faced him head on, pressing harder against the tip of his wand.

Kanato’s eyes widened in shock, clutching his bear closer to him.

“Did you hear that, Teddy? This idiot thinks she can order us around. I think we should put this Mudblood back in her place and show her what happens when you defy a Pureblood.”

Kanato’s eyes were glued onto Kuroe’s frightened ones, his lips spreading into a devilish grin. She couldn’t tear herself away from him as she watched him mutter silent charms. She could feel painful, throbbing pulses inside her head and knew he was using wandless magic to pry into her brain. She did her best to clear her mind and build up her mental defenses, just like when she practiced Occlumency with Reiji. Reiji was the best Legilimens she knew, yet Kanato’s spell seemed much more sinister. It was as if he was trying to rip her mind into shreds and destroy her piece by piece. Her eyes widened, realizing the actual curse he was attempting to perform on her when she saw him mouth one word she recognized instantly.

_Crucio._

Kuroe screamed and wailed violently, the pain pulsating through like knives stabbing at her in every direction. Her mind was crushed and she was unsure of her surroundings, her vision blurred from the immense torture of the curse. Even though her pain was entirely mental, her body was suffering physically from it, and she soon collapsed at Kanato’s feet, unable to stand on her own. Her mind quickly blacked out, a last resort in an attempt to block out the powerful Unforgivable Curse. The last thing she heard was the soft laughter of Kanato before he walked away, as he left her crumpled and forgotten on the floor.


	23. Meeting the Headmistress

Kuroe felt hopeless, as if all the strength she possessed had vanished, and she wanted nothing more than to die right where she lay. She wasn’t aware of how long she stayed there, sprawled out on the floor in the most uncomfortable position. Someone had nudged her to wake her up, but she was unable to respond. He grabbed her and propped her up into a sitting position, finally able to face the person who came to retrieve her.

“Katsuragi Kuroe, you have entered the Restricted Section without proper authorization. I am here to escort you so you may receive punishment for your actions.”

An intense pain shot through her and she gripped her head, groaning in agony. She heard Ruki sigh in annoyance and bent down to lift her to her feet. She slapped his hand out of the way when he tried to steady her, and he chuckled.

“Even though your reputation is at stake, your Black Viper status still shines through. Although it’s not surprising to see this type of behavior when you hang around certain people.” He enunciated the last words to drive his point, and Kuroe glared, understanding his true meaning.

She attempted to walk out in front of him, her body wobbly, trying to regain her balance. “If you’re talking about Akari, I can tell you that she is for certain the best kind of person to be around. Now where are you taking me? The sooner I can get this over with, the better.”

Ruki frowned at her tone and noticed her staggering form. He rolled his eyes and stuck out his arm as an offer for her to take it, since she had no chance in walking on her own.

Kuroe saw what he was doing and turned to look away, deeply upset that he knew that she was seriously injured. She unenthusiastically took his arm, wrapping her hand lightly around it, so as to not give him the wrong idea. Ruki carefully closed his arm against himself, and walked forward slowly, keeping an even pace so that she could walk without stressing herself further.

The pair walked out of the Restricted Section and proceeded to leave the library. Kuroe gripped her fingers tight against Ruki, concerned that he would take her to the hospital wing. She didn’t know how she would talk about the altercation with Kanato and frantically tried to come up with a story to explain her injuries. Ruki noticed her odd reaction and stopped in the middle of the corridor.

“If you think I’m taking you to the hospital wing, you’re wrong. I am aware that you have injured yourself, but such is the case when you enter an unauthorized area that is full of books related to dark magic. I was asked to escort you to the Headmistress’s office and I will abide by that request.”

Kuroe’s eyes widened in surprise, yet skillfully hid her reaction to not draw too much attention to herself.

“The Headmistress? I wonder what could be so important to receive a summon from her.” She replied smugly.

Ruki narrowed his eyes. “If you think playing coy will get me to tell you the purpose for this visit, then you’re wasting your time.

Kuroe snorted. Seemed as if Ruki didn’t even know himself.

They both walked down the corridors and appeared before the giant phoenix statue that led to the Headmistress’s office. Kuroe let Ruki’s arm go and he stood before the towering bird and whispered the password to enter.

_“Pumpkin pasties.”_

The phoenix statue roared to life and began turning, creating the hidden staircase that led to the Headmistress’s chambers. Kuroe and Ruki quickly both jumped onto the stairs, and waited for the doors to appear before them. The staircase clicked to the top of the tower, and Kuroe took Ruki’s arm again, this time out of uneasiness at seeing the Headmistress herself. The doors opened for the pair and Ruki escorted Kuroe inside. Kuroe jumped slightly when she heard a stern voice come from the glowing Pensieve.

“Thank you for bringing her Mr. Mukami. You may head back to your dormitory.”

Ruki replied with a curt nod and turned to leave the office, the doors slowly closing behind him. Kuroe gulped and wondered if she really did get into trouble for her recent antics.

“Please have a seat Miss Katsuragi.”

Kuroe nodded firmly and walked over to the empty chair in front of the oak desk. “Yes Professor.”

Professor Mcgonagall’s robes swished softly behind her as she took her seat behind her desk. Her thin mouth was tight as usual, and it was always difficult to determine her expressions. Kuroe assumed it was for the worst and did her best to prepare for whatever was to come.

“I’m assuming you’re wondering why I’ve called you here?” She spoke, eyeing the Slytherin with great suspicion.

Kuroe winced and shook her head. Mcgonagall’s interrogations were ruthless, and she knew better than to outright lie if she were to speak of anything she did. What made things worse is that she didn’t exactly have a soft spot for Slytherin house.

The professor clasped her bony fingers together in concentration. “You have been chosen to carry on a very important assignment for me. More importantly, the entire school.”

Kuroe widened her eyes in shock. “Assignment?”

Mcgonagall nodded. “Yes. You see, you will be the first student to know that our school has been chosen to host the infamous Triwizard Tournament.”

Kuroe furrowed her brows in confusion. She assumed Mcgonagall was joking, but it wasn’t like the Headmistress to make a joke like that. In fact, she never joked at all.

“I don’t understand. The Triwizard Tournament hasn’t been hosted since Harry Potter attended Hogwarts.”

Mcgonagall got a mischievous glint in her eyes at the student’s reaction. “You are correct, Miss Katsuragi. However, the heads of the other participating schools and myself have come to an agreement, and it was passed with the Ministry’s ruling. The Triwizard Tournament will be restored to its former glory and Hogwarts has been chosen to host the games.”

Kuroe sat back, unable to take in all this information. “So then, why am I here? Surely there’s a reason why I get to know this before the entire student body?”

Mcgonagall quirked an eyebrow and almost smiled. “Very good, Miss Katsuragi. As expected of a Slytherin. I have chosen to reveal this special bit of news to you because I am in need of your assistance.”

Kuroe leaned in, engaged in what the Headmistress needed her help for.

“You see, during the Triwizard Tournament, we are to host certain events that take part in between the actual trials. Only the chosen champions are allowed to participate in these trials, but that does not mean that we are not able to compete against our neighboring schools in other ways.”

She stood up and walked around the desk, her arms clasped behind her back. “I have seen your Quidditch games throughout the years, and your successful rise to Captain. You are indeed an exceptional Quidditch player, and I have organized a Quidditch match to be played against the Durmstrang team.”

Kuroe beamed, taken aback by all the compliments. It was indeed a very honorable moment when the Headmistress commended all your hard work in Hogwarts. The fact that Kuroe was noticed so closely made her blush slightly.

“I will give the details out once everything has been organized, but I will ask you to lead the best Quidditch team Hogwarts has to offer.”

Kuroe shot up and saluted the Headmistress. “Yes professor, I won’t let you down.”

The Headmistress nodded in appreciation. “Very good, that will be all for today. I don’t believe I have to tell you that the information discussed in this meeting is strictly between us?”

Kuroe bowed. “Yes! Of course professor, I won’t tell a soul.”

Mcgonagall sat behind her desk and took out some scrolls. “Very well. Oh, I forgot to mention. Since I kept you here so late, I’ve also asked for an escort to bring you back to your dormitory. I’m sure there will be no objection?”

Kuroe shook her head repeatedly. “No, of course not! I’ll be glad to leave with who—”

“I apologize for being late, Headmistress. I am here to escort Miss Katsuragi.”

Kuroe froze at the cold voice that entered the room.

“Yes, thank you Mr. Sakamaki. I trust you’ll lead Miss Katsuragi safely back to her dormitory.”

Reiji placed a hand over his chest, bowing respectfully. “As a Slytherin prefect, it is more than my duty to make sure all students are within their dormitory at a reasonable hour.”

His red eyes glared at Kuroe and she swallowed the lump that grew in her throat. She wasn’t sure how to explain to Mcgonagall that she may not be able to participate in the Quidditch game after all. Not while in Reiji’s tight grasp.


	24. Corridor Interrogation

Kuroe gazed reluctantly as the door to the Headmistress’s office shut tight and Reiji came into her line of vision. She tried to leave as slowly as possible by shuffling her feet on the floor to prevent herself from being alone with the angry Slytherin escorting her. Reiji’s impatience grew thin and he grabbed hold of Kuroe’s arm and flung her outside into the corridor just as the phoenix statue closed behind them. She tried to make a run for it, but he caught her and roughly slammed her back against the wall, his hand pressed against her head, forcing Kuroe to look at him.

He glared menacingly at his fellow housemate, thinking about the best way to punish her for her egregious behavior. Her eyes automatically shot down towards the floor to avoid his burning gaze, and his mouth twitched in annoyance at her lack of respect for him; especially since he had the upper hand.

He spoke and almost chuckled at her terrified jolt after hearing his voice.

“Miss Katsuragi, before I name off every rule you’ve broken in this school, would you like for me to allow you the chance to explain your side? Or shall I proceed with a proper punishment for you right here and now?” He spat.

Kuroe shook her head frantically, but found she was unable to speak. Reiji clenched his fist to control his growing impatience with this thick-headed girl. Normally he could get her to open up with ease, but for some reason she was being resistant. No doubt a side effect of being around the Motegi woman for too long...but no matter.

He would get the answers he wanted whether she consented or not.

He sighed sadly, and drew his wand from his robes, Kuroe watching his movements like a hawk.

“I must be honest, Miss Katsuragi. I thought we shared mutual trust, but I seemed to have been mistaken; something that doesn’t happen very often. If you won’t provide me with direct answers, then I’m afraid I’ll have to resort to more extreme measures.”

He placed the tip of his wand at her temple, ready to recite his incantation, when Kuroe gripped his wrist swiftly.

“WAIT! Okay, I’ll tell you what I know.” She cried, her eyes wincing in pain from trying to stand.

Reiji backed off of her and placed his wand at his side. “Go on.” He demanded.

Kuroe swallowed before speaking. “Professor Mcgonagall...summoned me into her quarters. She said she had a very important task for me.”

She paused, watching Reiji’s reactions to her story. Kuroe knew that if she wanted to keep her secret of getting busted in the Forbidden Section, she’d have to really play it cool to not make him suspicious.

“And,” she continued, “even though she made me swore to not tell ANYONE, she allowed me privilege to pick the qualifying members of the Hogwarts Quidditch team that will go against Durmstrang in the upcoming Triwizard Tournament that our school will be hosting.”

She rushed through rather quickly, and realized the error in her mistake when she saw Reiji’s expression unchanged. Perspiration began building on her forehead, and she knew she would be in a dire situation if she even so much as attempt to wipe it away. Kuroe began breathing through her nose to calm herself down as Reiji moved in close.

He leaned in to whisper in her ear, making her shudder in fear. “It’s a shame, Miss Katsuragi. I expected far better from you as a fellow Slytherin. But your answer will suffice, for now.”

Kuroe inhaled silently, shocked that he accepted her story so easily.

“And because of the invaluable information you decided to share, I am granting you grievance on your recent mishap concerning my brother.”

Kuroe cautiously decided to pursue his statement further. “Grievance?” She asked.

Reiji gave his infamous smirk. “Why, of course! Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten the detention you owe due to your illegal bet? Although if you’re wanting to reconsider my proposal of not having detention, I can always change my mind..”

She grabbed his hands quickly, preventing him from leaving. “No, no! I accept!” She bowed, her long hair falling in front of her face.

Reiji cocked an eyebrow, amused. “Very well then, I think it’s time we take our leave to the common room.” He walked briskly, stopping suddenly in the middle of the corridor.

“Oh, and Miss Katsuragi?” He called back, Kuroe perking up at her name.

“About your little incident regarding the Forbidden Section in the library.” He paused, waving a used book in his hand. “I do hope you know that you’ll have to make up for this serious lack of judgment.”

He turned facing her, his robes wisping silently behind him as he drew his wand and shot a spell at Kuroe, causing her to become immobilized and fall to the floor with a loud crash.

His footsteps echoed along the walls as he sauntered over to her paralyzed state, clicking his tongue in disappointment.

“I do appreciate your curiosity regarding the dark arts, but stealing a book from a library? Your actions have grown to disappoint me, especially with your reputation being at stake.”  
Kuroe tried to yell at him, but she could only make incoherent noises.

“Please do refrain from mumbling, it truly is a disgusting habit.” He snapped. “You’ll do your best to behave while in my house, Miss Katsuragi. If you don’t want the entire school to be aware of your muggle born status, I would proceed with caution.”

He turned around. “Now, how to best punish you for this recent action? Oh I know.” He grinned dangerously, placing the book in his robes. “To not damage your credibility with the Headmistress, since she so values you as a prized pupil, I’ll be transferring your punishment onto another, that way you’ll be free of any repercussion.”

Kuroe widened her eyes, her eyelids brimming with tears. There’s no way; he wouldn’t dare.

Reiji’s eyes glowed in satisfaction. “Oh yes. Your punishment will be grave for your lack of respect for the rules, and another student will take it in your stead. I’m sure Miss Motegi will be a fine replacement for you.”

Kuroe protested as best as she could against the Body-Bind curse, but Reiji pinned her down with the sole of his boot.

“And the best part is, you’re going to be the one to break the news to her. If she’s truly your best friend, I’m sure she’ll understand. Oh dear, how devastated do you think she’ll be? I’ll be sure to give her a punishment so severe, she’ll be begging for me to stop.” 

The last part he mentioned more to himself than Kuroe, and caught himself quickly. He stepped off Kuroe and waved his wand, unbinding her. Kuroe still had her fists clenched so tightly that they were turning white. Reiji began to walk off, leaving her to agonize on the floor.

“My escorting will stop here. Find your way back to the common room, or I’ll leave you at the hands of another individual who won’t be as lenient as I was.”

Kuroe had her back to him, curling up into a ball, as her silent tears escaped. She could have cursed herself much worse than any of the spells used against her in one night for allowing Reiji to manipulate her into abusing Akari. Her body shook in anger at herself, at her classmates, and at this wretched school.

What’s worse is that the effort she took into taking the main book she needed from the Forbidden Section was lost. A complete and utter failure. She calculated her moves down to the last second, and still, she was unable to get a hold of the answers she so desperately sought. Kuroe wasn’t sure if she should even move, and wanted to waste away in the spot she laid in, never wanting to deal with another person ever again for as long as she lived.

She shot up when a noise broke the silence of her misery. She whipped out her wand defensively, ready to unleash her wrath on anyone who dared cross her this time.

“Come out! I know you’re there, show yourself!” She yelled.

Something flew out in the direction where Reiji left, and she yelped, screaming a quick spell to stop the spinning object from crashing into her.

_“Protego!”_ A bright shield emanated from her wand, blocking the object, making it drop to the floor with a loud thud. She still had her wand up until she saw the shape of a book from behind her shield. She lowered her defense, and bent down to pick it up, gasping in needed relief.

The title in giant green letters was enough to send her into a frenzy. She giggled like a child, hugging the ancient book against her chest, spinning around candidly. She quickly stuffed the book into her robes, and took off running towards the common room, lest she find someone else willing to take it away from her again.

A shadow appeared from behind the wall where he watched Kuroe run off before stepping in the very spot where she stood.

“ _The Heir of Slytherin_...an interesting title. Just what are you getting yourself into, Kuroe-san?”


	25. The Tell-Tale Slytherin

It took ages for Kuroe to drag herself back to the safety of the Slytherin common room. Most students were intimidated by having their dorms surrounded by the murkiness of the damp, stone walls of the dungeons; but it also had a certain charm that Kuroe appreciated. She especially loved it being directly under the Great Lake, since she enjoyed watching and occasionally conversing with the aquatic creatures that would swim near her window. With desperation, she reached the entrance and muttered the password in a hurry, forcing herself inside. She sighed in relief at the blessed silence, until an unwelcoming voice broke her train of thought.

“As I said before, Mr. Mukami, your grades are in need of serious improvement. If you don’t produce the best results, then I’ll be forced to report you to our head of house.”

A tall, looming shadow appeared in the common room, followed by a smaller shadow trudging slowly behind it. Kuroe swallowed when Reiji spotted her at the entrance.

“Ah, Miss Katsuragi, your timing is _impeccable._ ” He said with disdain.

“Would you please assist Mr. Mukami with his Potions homework? Given your disheveled appearance, you look like you need something productive to do.”

Kuroe restrained herself from the urge to roll her eyes into the back of her head. Reiji treating her like an ill-mannered child was enough to annoy anyone to death.

“Why can’t you help him?” She asked, flatly.

Reiji’s glasses glowed from the light of the hanging green lanterns and sighed.

“Must I always think for you both? Or is it easy to forget that I have responsibilities as a Prefect such as doing my nightly patrols?”

Kuroe snorted when she saw Kou snicker in amusement. It was easy to mess with Reiji and when he went off on a rant, there was no way to stop him; he’d never shut up once he started.

His jaw clenched and he walked briskly, stopping right next to her, his arms folded behind his back.

“My, my, Miss Katsuragi; you look as if you’ve had an exhausting night. Surely your stamina isn’t as terrible as you appear to be? As Quidditch Captain, I assumed you had no problem with a little rough play.”

He grinned slyly at her, Kuroe refusing to even glance at him. She knew how he played his mind games, and wanted no part in giving him the satisfaction.

He chuckled, his robes flowing behind him as he left the common room. Kuroe and Kou both locked eyes and let out a deep sigh of relief. As she slouched to the floor, he walked up to her and knelt down next to her, his hand resting against his cheek.

“Ne, Kuroe-chan, what did you do to get Reiji so worked up today?” He asked, concerned.

Kuroe rested her head against the stone wall, giving Kou a half smile. The blood status of the Mukamis was no secret to the school, and with Kou being the only half blood in Slytherin house, he was a constant target of the Purebloods’ hostility. Even though he is revered for his status as a pop singer in the muggle world, in Hogwarts, he was just another student on the lower end of the social order within Slytherin house. It pained Kuroe whenever she saw the jesting from the other Pureblood students, so she took it upon herself to protect him; which led to eventually befriending him during the process.

Only Reiji was aware of her blood status of being muggle-born, but even she couldn’t allow Kou to know of her ancestry. Not because of fear of the same treatment, but through personal choice. In fact, that’s one of the reasons why she attempted to break into the Forbidden Section, to possibly learn more about her mysterious family’s heritage.

“You know, me sneaking around, getting sent to the Headmistress’s office, the usual.”

Kou was shocked, his eyes glittered in mischief. “Ooo, such a bad M-neko chan! Give me the details, and don’t leave anything out!” He grabbed her shoulders excitedly.

Kuroe smirked and sat up straight, eagerly revealing all the details of her night from the beginning.

  *********

Last night was incredibly needed for both Kuroe and Kou. After retelling the story of her crazy night, she allowed him to copy her Potions homework. It may not seem like a fair exchange, but Kuroe was fortunate enough to be in the same year as Reiji, so she received plenty of “tutoring” from her fellow classmate. Instead of explaining the complications of Potion brewing to Kou, who had absolutely no interest in the subject, she thought it would be easier for the both of them if she just let him copy her work. They both never spoke of it, Kou raised his grades, and no one complained. So what harm was there?

It was early in the morning before dawn, and Kuroe kept pacing back and forth. She usually met up with Akari on the way to Quidditch practice, and she was panic-stricken at the thought of telling Akari that she had received another detention from Reiji...all on her behalf.

Reiji’s words kept pulsing back and forth in her mind, and she desperately tried to remain calm. Terrified of walking out of the common room, she didn’t know if she was going to lose her best friend that day. But in spite of her fears, she puffed out her chest and proceeded to walk out with her head held high. Her footsteps were silent as she walked through the corridors, making her way to the castle grounds. Akari was there waiting for her, and she waved excitedly, while Kuroe nodded at her.

Akari ran up to Kuroe and smacked down on both of her shoulders.

“Holy shit balls Kuroe!! Ruki just told me about escorting you to Mcgonagall’s office AFTER he found you passed out in the Forbidden Section?! What the hell were you thinking? AND WHY WASN’T I INVITED??”

Kuroe became stiff, unable to handle Akari’s overbearing excitement that early in the morning. She became solemn once more, and proceeded to tell her friend about what happened that night, and the altercation between her and Reiji.

Akari’s eyes glazed over, and Kuroe’s heart sank, cursing herself for making Akari about to cry. All the thoughts of how to make her happy again rushed through her mind, until Akari squealed in delight.

“Hogwarts is hosting the Triwizard Tournament?!?! Oh my GODS!!! That means there’ll be the Yule Ball!!! I wonder if Reiji-san will ask me to dance? Oh shit, we all have to have dancing lessons too then!”

She began twirling with stars in her eyes, while Kuroe’s jaw nearly hit the floor in shock. She grabbed the flighty Ravenclaw, trying to knock some sense into her thick head.

“Look, that isn’t the point Akari! We have more pressing matters to deal with, like you taking my place in detention with Reiji-san.”

Akari waved her hand, shrugging off what she said. “Oh please, I’ve done detention with Reiji-san before and it wasn't so bad. Besides, that means I get to spend more time with him~”

Kuroe had a disgusted look on her face. All the events that occurred and the way she was going to break the devastating news backfired completely. Akari noticed her dark expression, and smacked her on the back.

“Hello, EARTH to Kuroe! Did you think that I was going to be a jerk and not be your friend anymore for getting me into trouble? I mean, sure, any normal person would be upset, but you know me! I’m more disappointed in the fact that I wasn’t actively involved in this whole thing!”

Kuroe smirked and Akari pinched her cheeks. “Aaand she’s back! See? No big deal! So what threat did Reiji-san tell you this time to try and keep you quiet?”

Kuroe narrowed her eyes, recalling his exact words. “He said he would let the school know about my blood status and expose me for what I really am.”

Akari groaned and crossed her arms. “Kuroe, I don’t know how many times I have to tell you but the war is OVER. No one cares about blood status anymore unless you’re some uptight old school Pureblood with a giant stick up your ass!”

The Slytherin winced, pretending to laugh it off. “Yeah, you’re right; silly isn’t it?”

“Of course it is! Besides, you’ve got bigger things to worry about. Like assembling the best fucking Quidditch team Hogwarts has to offer! I can’t wait to see you guys kick Durmstrang’s asses!”

Kuroe gave a small smile, and followed Akari out to the Quidditch pitch. As she talked endlessly about her excitement regarding the Triwizard Tournament, Kuroe walked slowly behind her, her mind reeling with Reiji’s lethal threats of exposing her. Even though she was grateful for her friend, Akari still had no idea how devastating revealing her blood status actually is. It was something Kuroe still had to figure out, because there was history that even she hadn’t revealed to Akari as of yet. Maybe one day when she was brave enough she would tell her, but now was not the time.

“What about Shin?” Akari asked. Kuroe stopped at the entrance to the stadium.

“Who?” She asked, dumbfounded.

“Why don’t you add Shin to the team? He’s a pretty resilient player, and you’d actually get to boss him around for once!” She smiled gleefully.

Kuroe scoffed and mounted her broom. “Shin; are you kidding? Over my dead body.”


End file.
